Author's note: Vaguely inspired by Bambi II. Sorry to all the Xigbar lovers, but he fit the profile best. Just because braig is a pedophile doesn't mean it will carry over to his Nobody (unless you want it to, sickos. I kid, really)

Lea woke early. He had a lot to do and couldn't be late, he'd catch hell for that. With a yawn he forced himself to sit up. Idly he went to rub his face to help him shake the sleep from his body, but when he tried..

"OUCH!" he hissed. The permanent marks on his cheeks were still very fresh, the surrounding areas of his face had swelled with fluid and he probably looked more like a clown now then ever. "Goddamn" Lea muttered beneath his breath.

"Lea?" the boy beside him whispered, having woken up from the movement.

"Go back to sleep Reno, it's early" the older boy replied, gently running his knuckles against Reno's cheek. "I'll wake ya up when it's time to go, get me?"

In turn, the younger boy huffed as he sat up. The long strands of his blood red hair were in total discord. He gave a cute little yawn of his own. It made Lea want to melt into a little puddle of slum love.

"I'm already awake" Reno insisted in an unconvincing manner. He adjusted the goggles that hung around his neck, more or less to confirm they hadn't been stolen from him.

Lea couldn't help but snicker a bit "Well then if you're sure big guy, I wont make ya sleep". He stood, stretching his arms high above his head "Get up then. If we're both awake let's get movin', I'd rather be early then late. If we're lucky we'll grab some breakfast"

At the mention of a possible meal, Reno snapped to full awareness. The young boy leapt to his feet "Heh, ok!" he grinned. He ran to the closet to put on his sneakers, which of course were stolen. Lea stole everything they needed without remorse. In the slums, it was survival of the fittest. Try your best to survive and don't fuck up.

"Ready?" the older Maero brother yawned after lacing up his own boots. He turned to glance at Reno.

"Ready, yo!" Reno smiled offering his brother a thumbs up.

Chuckling Lea shook his head. Ah, the morning was off to a great start. "Here squirt" he stated, draping a large hoodie over Reno's head "Put this on, it's damn chilly out"

"Mfft!" the little red head struggled beneath the massive folds of the black hoodie, sheepishly peeking one blue eye out at his brother.

"Come on squirt!" Lea cackled. He hoisted Reno up onto his shoulders. The boy let out a little 'heeee!' sound of delight when he was swept from the floor. When he was perched on his brother's steady shoulders, Reno adjusted the hoodie so it sat 'properly' on his small frame.

The streets were practically bare, the only stirring was the chilled breeze that lifted the trash up into torrents of what could be considered Midgar's 'Ballet'. It's not like Lea could blame anyone for not being awake. The hour was obscenely early, in fact it should be illegal for anyone to be up and function at this hour unless he or she was a total lunatic, not to mention asshole for disturbing the peace.

Luckily, Lea mused, he fit the criteria.

Reno slumped against his brother's hair, using it's natural fluff for a pillow as the steady pace lulled him back to sleep. No doubt it had been exhausting to be up, but he had been excited. He loved to accompany Lea on his 'jobs'. He not only got to help his brother, but learned the tools of the trade and what it took to survive in the jungle known as Midgar.

While walking along the damp streets Lea looked up at the early morning sky. Clouds still blanketed the smog infested air, but the scent of fresh rain could almost convince him it was fresh outside. Almost. If it weren't for the all the oil and grime that rose to the surface of the concrete then asphalt, sure, what the hell, it was nice out.

Caught in his morbid daydream, Lea took a misstep "Whoa! Shit!" and nearly fell flat on his sore face.

"Ekk! Yo!" Reno cried having been jarred awake. His small hands clung with a death grip to Lea's forehead, pulling the delicate hairs of his eye brows.

"Owowowow!" the older brother whimpered "Yo, Reeeeeeeno! Let up! I don't need no damn face lift at my age!"

"Heh, whoopsie, sorry 'bout that Bro" the smaller boy grinned apologetically, now full awake.

"Uh huh, sure" Lea grinned rolling his eyes.

He continued to walk but diverged from the mainstream of the city sidewalk, staying put in the catacomb of alley ways. It was like a maze for those not used to the under belly of the slums. Lea knew every loose piece of rotting fence wood to move and creep through, every drainage pipe to meander along as though it was his own personal highway, and of course, less conspicuous forms that appeared only as piles of trash. In actuality, they were deliberately placed markers.

Lea had finally reached his destination. He looked back and forth to make sure no one had followed them. Carefully he set Reno down on the moist ground and pulled back one of the loose fence slats "Go, Reno" he insisted in an urgent whisper "You know where to go. Knock twice, ring once. I'll be right behind you"

"Ok, hurry up Lea" the younger boy pouted. He turned to slide through the opening in the fence. Glancing around Reno was momentarily daunted by the mountains of twisted metal that had one time been cars. Hinges of broken doors creaked in the wind, only affirming Reno's thoughts that even though cars weren't 'alive', they still had graves, and they still rotted in their own way.

He darted through the junkyard, careful of loose pieces of metal littered about the slick ground. Left, right, left, he came upon an old red truck of sorts. The beast lay crumpled on it's side. Reno opened the door and carefully pulled the lever to move the seat up, revealing a long passage way. With a gulp, Reno slipped the goggles over his eyes and slid down through the dark tunnel until he found himself in a chamber slightly bigger then the cab of the truck had been. Raising a tiny fist, he knocked twice, then rang the bell once.

The young boy shifted nervously on his feet, until the large metal door slid open.

Meanwhile, Lea stood outside the fence keeping a silent vigil. He didn't want to follow too soon after Reno, just in case. One could call Lea's behavior border line paranoia, what with his constant looking around and alertness.

Once he was sure he was alone Lea pulled the fence board back and darted along the same path her brother had taken. However, Lea made sure to drag his feet to cover the prints they had both left in the moist soil.

It was a much tighter squeeze for the eleven year old then it had been for his brother. He cursed under his breath, squirming awkwardly down the tunnel until he reached the chamber, where he to, knocked twice and rang the bell once.

The door lurched open just enough for Lea to squeeze himself through. Inside was a collection of crudely made chambers that somehow managed to keep the cold and rain out, but the heat in. Scattered about the common living space were other kids, some older, some younger then himself.

"You're late" a deep voice hissed.

"Yeah, and yer' ugly, but I ain't complainin" Lea snarked while dusting himself off.

"Why you little--!!" the burly teen grumbled snatching Lea by the collar to hoist him off the ground.

"Hey now, let's play nice children" another voice added with a bit of authority.

"Yeah, you heard the boss, put my happy ass down!" Lea snarled, narrowing his eyes. The older boy promptly dropped the red head, and with a grumble turned back to his station by the door.

"Bout' time you showed up, slacker" Lea's savior snorted, narrowing his golden eyes while running a hand through his hair, gently tugging at the black and white strands. He was clad in baggy black pants adorned with chains held on by duct tape, and a gray hoodie.

"Sorry, Braig" Lea offered insincerely "Didn't relish the idea of getting' caught just to get here, yo" he paused "Where's Reno?"

"Here!" the little red head squeaked from behind Braig's legs. He rushed over to throw himself into his brother's arms.

"So I heard he had a birthday" Braig mused, trying to change the topic. He had a better chance of winning a fight with a rock then he did with Lea, and he wasn't in the mood to push the limits today.

"Yep! Sure as hell did!" the older Maero brother grinned. 'Tell the Boss how old ya'are, Reno"

"I'm six, yo!" Reno smiled holding up six fingers.

"Six is a good age" Braig mused, he himself missed being so little, well…not really. Being little was worse then being older. You had to learn how harsh the world was. As it was, he was older then lea by eight years, but he found the elven year old quite skilled and an asset to his organization. With a flip of his wrist, he signaled for the two red heads to follow him.

Passing through the 'kitchen' Braig paused to grab a muffin and offered it to Reno "Happy Birthday" then he glanced up to Lea, narrowing his eyes just slightly. "We need to talk"

Lea narrowed his own eyes a bit, the cool air had eased the swelling of his cheeks so he didn't look so ridiculous anymore. "Reno" he gently squeezed his brother's shoulder "Go sit in that beanbag chair till I get back, got me?"

"Gotcha!" the little red head nodded through a mouthful of muffin. Lea watched his brother slip into the chair before he turned back to Braig and gave a nod.

The older boy lead them down a hall to an office, which was really a hollowed out minivan. Lea hesitated but entered when Braig gestured for him to do so. Once he did however, the other young man slammed the door. 'You fuckin' ungrateful maggot" he growled lowly.

Immediately Lea snapped his gaze to his boss, growling his own warning "'Scuse me, asshole?"

"I know you've been stealing, Maero. Stealing my money. I ain't running a fuckin' charity here" Braig muttered lowly, stepping away from the door.

"It's not your goddamn money to steal, bitchface" the red head countered "It was my understanding, at the end of the week the group split the pot evenly. Now I may not have lasted in school, but I'm no dumbfuck. Two plus two doesn't equal five. I was getting' ripped and you know it. I pull in twice the amount then all these little punks put together"

"Yeah, with the tricks I taught you!" Braig snarled, suddenly closing the gap between them so that only a chair separated them. "You should know better then to fuck with me, Lea" he warned "You've seen what I do to people who screw me over. All I have to do is whistle and those punks will do my every bidding. They fucking worship me, Maero. I make them feel good about themselves, give them purpose." There was a sudden smirk branding his features that made quite uncomfortable. Through the sly purse of his lips, there was an almost predatory air.

"You don't give me a damn thing other then a lead" Lea quipped sharply "I've got the talent to make it on my own, I don't need your shit or your measly handfuls of Gil."

"Dude. Lea, Lea, Lea…" Braig sighed and shook his head while wagging a finger "You forget who yer messin with" suddenly the chair was kicked out from between them. It startled the red head who suddenly found himself pressed firmly against the desk. Braig let out a strange breath while his hips ground into Lea's back side, firmly holding him to the chaffed wood of his desk. "I suppose we could find a way for you to pay back what you've stolen"

Lea nearly gagged when he felt one calloused hand slide up his shirt to strum on his boney ribs. However, it was when the second hand began to fiddle with the zipper of his tattered jeans that he snapped to attention.

Oh fuck no.

"Boss" the read head said in a soft, firm tone. He eyed the desk and it's surrounding areas. Sitting across him his sea green eyes took note of the gardening spade sitting on the desk. Lea didn't bother to question the convenience of it's placement, he'd thank Hyne, or whatever god decided to take pity on him later.

"Hmm..?" the older boy purred into Lea's neck, rolling his hot tongue over the flesh.

Lea sneered, his nose wrinkling with rage. Slowly his hand crept out to grab the handle of the spade "Consider this my letter of resignation.".

With that Lea snapped his elbow back into the jaw of his former 'Boss'. Soon as he was released he swung the spade, catching the edge along Braig's cheek, carving a crude, triangle shape out of his cheek.

The wound spewed blood in every direction, showering the room and them both in the spray.

"You little fucker! After everything!!" Braig was furious, and for once Lea felt a little afraid. The next few moments were but a blur in his mind. He vaguely remembered dashing out of the room, grabbing Reno by the wrist.

"Lea!!" the young one cried at the sudden force he was pulled at "What's going on?!" he whimpered.

The older boy didn't have time to answer. He merely sung Reno onto his shoulders and scurried up the tunnel, the sounds of what he once considered his 'friends' clamoring up to take vengeance on him. "OUCH!" he winced when he felt something sharp dig into his ankle.

Looking down briefly his eyes widened at the sight of a large dog latched to his ankle. He should have expected that. The little group of misfits Braig 'took in' often kept and trained stray dogs as fighters. For a moment Lea found himself admiring the practicality, before reminding himself he was victim.

With his other leg Lea kicked the mutt between the eyes, knocking it back down the tunnel a good ways. The pain was overwhelming, not just his ankle but the massive headache that threatened to rip his skull in two.

Finally Lea pulled himself out of the tunnel "Hang on Reno, keep your eyes closed" he managed to bite out through clenched teeth. Oh boy, he had fucked up royal now. He knew sooner or later he'd get caught stealing, Braig was far from stupid. But why did he have to go and try to rip his face off?

Oh, right. He wanted to fondle his boy parts.

Lea cursed himself. If he had been careful, he wouldn't have had to burn the few bridges he had. But now life was going to get exceedingly difficult. Everyone between the ages of three and twenty one would be after his skull, and worse, it put Reno in danger.

Oh goddamn it. Why could he never catch a break?

However he didn't have time to dwell on this. He had to find a way out that they wouldn't think of. Glancing around Lea noticed a large pile of scrap metal that hung over the teetering fence. Taking a deep breath he ran towards it, the sounds of barking dogs and screaming once-comrades echoing through his ears.

To make matters worse, the red head was starting to feel a little weak from blood loss. His blood was thin from the lack of iron (or anything) in his diet, and Reno had become dead weight. Lea had to struggle to keep from collapsing.

"Reno" he managed at the base of the pile "You're going to have to climb" he insisted. He set his brother down and gave him a push upwards.

"O-ok!!" the boy sobbed, trying to keep a brave face as he scrambled up the length of the pile. He looked back to see Lea struggling, but following swiftly behind him. It was in that moment Reno lost his footing "Ack! LEA!" he wailed sliding down the metal tower to nearly the bottom. He landed on dilapidated tire. Hearing the sharp sounds of ravenous dogs Reno whipped around just in time to see seven mongrels heading right for him with hunger in their eyes. The crowd of people following behind the demon canines barred weapons of mass mutilation.

Immediately he froze, terrified. Reno couldn't hear, he couldn't see, he was a statue.

"Reno!!" Lea nearly screamed, his heart thumping so hard it hurt. "Reno, run!!" he urged, trying to get down to his brother without killing them both in the process. "RENO! RUN! RUN NOW!" Lea screamed when he got no reaction out of his brother.

He was petrified, literally. Desperately glancing around Lea forced his eyes to focus. From the rubble a large, thick pipe stuck out. It was wedged between….something big, and what appeared to be one of those old 'beetle' cars.

The cogs (albeit rusty ones) in Lea's head began to churn. He forced himself up and grabbed the bar, forcing his weight down on it. He felt the metal buckle, and the car launched forward, nearly toppling the would be attackers.

With that Lea grabbed an old hubcap to use as a sled and dove down the pile of scrap metal. On the way down he snatched Reno up onto his shoulders. "DUCK!" he ordered as they veered beneath the low chasse of the beetle car (which had magically landed on it's too large wheels, hot damn, maybe Lea did believe in luck)

Huffing and puffing Lea forced the hub cap to stop. Snatching Reno by the wrist he dragged his brother through the loose board in the fence and proceeded to run like hell. The direction didn't matter, nothing mattered but getting the hell outta dodge.

Lea made sure to stick to concrete and fence line, trying to avoid anything that would leave a footprint. Because of the puddles left from the rain, it was nearly impossible for him to leave a blood trail from the bite wound.

He was damn glad he'd never invited any of those ingrates over to his house. He'd be royally screwed then. It's not like he could trust his parents to defend his sorry ass.

When he felt they were a safe distance away Lea came to a half, his hands on his knees as he tried desperately to catch his breath. Vaguely he could hear Reno's soft sniffling.

"Lea, I-I—" the little red head began to stutter.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Lea snarled suddenly. He clutched Reno's shoulders and proceeded to shake him "When I tell you to run, you better fuckin' RUN. Don't you EVER just stand there like that! What woulda happened if I couldn't do nuthin', huh? Huh!? Those bastards would have torn your ass apart and then what would I do!? Huh!? What would I do if they got you!?"

"I-I!!" Reno sobbed uncontrollably now "I-I'm sorry…" he whispered under his breath "I-I'm sorry…I'm sorry"

"…." Lea felt his adrenaline beginning to pump again, his heart raced and broke at the same time as he stared down at his sobbing little brother. For a moment he just stood there before he bent to pick the little red head up and hold him as close as a possible "Listen, I'm sorry fer yellin' at ya, ok?" he murmured pulling Reno away just enough so their foreheads rested against each other "I just, I got scared, yo. I got scared I'd lose you."

Reno nodded a little "I-I know" he sniffled nuzzling his cheek to Lea's. "I didn't mean to scare you"

"It's cool" Lea sighed "I love ya Reno, got it memorized?"