There will be hints of Reno and Cloud in other pairings (for example TsengReno in this chapter), but the main pairing is still RufusReno and SephirothCloud

He knew what fire he was playing with, but in the grand scheme of things it mattered little.

After all, he's been dancing with danger as soon as he joined ShinRa years ago. He knew the fragility of human life, and the precious few seconds that can determine life or death. He knew the rewards one can gain from doing certain deeds, and the punishments that could follow should he fail. He knew who to stay with and who to avoid, just to keep himself from getting into deeper trouble then he already was in.

More often then not, though, he chose not to follow his logical mind. It was more fun to get in trouble, or to fight just for the heck of it and not because someone told you to. He may be careless, but he really wanted some thrill and fun.

Cloud once called him self-destructive. Reno said it was testing his limits. Cloud pointed out how he could die with his fun. Reno told him that it was equivalent to Cloud's self-sacrificing tendencies. Cloud accused Reno of being a fool. Reno countered that Cloud was one as well. Cloud claimed he'll never trust Reno with his life, and the redhead merely smirked because wasn't Cloud already doing so by lying unarmed and alone in Reno's bed?

They were both fools, and the way they controlled their feelings only confirmed it. You're not supposed to fall for people who could easily kill you, and seem to like doing so. You're definitely not supposed to fall for your superiors, especially people as insane as Rufus or Sephiroth. At least Cloud knew what must be done, and managed to give Sephiroth the killing blow. If it was him, Reno didn't he think he would be able to do it. Some part of would have believed his lover could be redeemed.

Lover, what a sick joke. His 'lovers' always ended up too focused on their work. Tseng and Rufus were good examples, one obsessed with catching terrorists, the other obsessed for power and the plotting of his own father's death, before also switching to terrorists. To make the whole thing more ironic, after their deaths, it was Reno who had Cloud, a leader of a terrorist group. The two of them didn't exactly have a relationship, but it was a sort of comfort they didn't mind having.

The planet was right, this time as part of the terrorists; Reno will be receiving that attention. From what he's seen of this world, the standards of ShinRa's soldiers were not as high as it was in their world, Reno and Cloud would no doubt catch the attention of ShinRa if their skills were revealed. Reno's alias, Somnus, was already the craze. ShinRa didn't have as much control of the people here, if the open, gradual increase of Somnus supporters were anything to go by.

He felt a course of excitement again. Since this was an alternative world of sorts, he was allowed to literally do anything and know to some degree what he will be dealing with. He was given more opportunities to go fool with some important figure's mind, or befriend certain people so he could cause them personal angst when they figure out who he was.

So, one evening as he spent his time in the Seventh Heaven Bar and saw a certain spiky dark-haired soldier come in, he had gone and befriended him. Zack was asking for it, with his friendly demeanor and that wish of 'looking for new friends'. Reno had simply gone and started talking to him, casual conversations, nothing incriminating to himself, but he knew he had gotten Zack to like him. Nowadays the dark haired man seeks him out whenever he came to Seventh Heaven. Reno knew it was because his attitude was a sort of relief after all the stuff ShinRa threw at Zack.

In the real world, Zack used to be someone he liked, so Reno knew that he wouldn't hurt Zack that maliciously.

Tseng…on the other hand…

Maybe it was because of the opportunity given to him, maybe it was because he just had to meet Tseng this way, but when Reno finally came face to face with Tseng he couldn't stop his sadistic glee. It had been a fight between the Turks and the terrorists again, and naturally, the two of them were on opposite sides. There were casualties on both sides, but Reno came out unharmed. He had a pretty significant role in turning the tables to the terrorists' favour, and the Turks who haven't died had been forced to flee.

Reno stayed only to make sure his fellow terrorists were sent away to be treated. Then he went out to see if he could find his former lover.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Aside from Somnus' latest victims, the day had started off like any other day. Unfortunately for him, during one of his rounds, Tseng had a hunch. A hunch that those people leaving the Seventh Heaven Bar in high spirits were terrorists. Since Tseng wasn't the type to just shoot anyone he suspected, he had decided to follow the group. The group had separated into even more groups, so Tseng picked the one with the most people. Not long after, he heard them discussing things that could only be a threat to ShinRa. Tseng's partner, upon hearing those words, had ignored Tseng's warning and attacked.

Rule 21 in the Turk Handbook, never attack an unknown person without knowing their abilities first.

Those people were terrorists, and upon seeing the Turks had immediately drew guns. In the resulting gunfight, backup arrived from both sides and escalated the casualties. There were property damages, casualties, and deaths on both sides; but the terrorists overwhelmed the Turks in their numbers. It wasn't long before the Turks were forced to retreat.

Now, Tseng found himself resting in another old and abandoned building. A trail of dark blood, which had followed him from the scene, would have led anyone to him. Tseng pressed his hand over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding at his side. Luckily or luckily, it had begun raining. At least the building could provide him some shelter, however flimsy. The rain also had the role of washing away his blood trail. He briefly wondered whether the other Turks made it, and whether some of the healthier terrorists were looking for them to finish the job.

Tseng didn't know how long he rested there, drifting between dreams and reality, when he heard the unmistakable taps of footsteps. It brought some of his senses back to him, and he came aware of how cold he was. The shelter had not prevented the cold from sweeping into his skin, turning them to ice temperatures. If not for his body's endurance, which was required for a Turk, he would have probably died by now.

A figure approached him, footsteps growing louder, but vision appeared to be a sense Tseng was still lacking. He could make out the slender from, and the spiky red hair. When the figure knelt down in front of him, he saw pale skin, glowing eyes, and the almost-cruel smirk on the person's youthful face.

"If I was any of my friends, you would be dead, Turk."

The way the words were spoken sent warning bells ringing in Tseng's head. He knew the person was not here to help him, the person had just admitted that they were friends of terrorists. When he smelled the blood on the other person, he wanted to recoil, to draw away, but he didn't. His body was too weak, and he himself was too proud. Yet he couldn't stop the flinch when he felt cool fingers light touch his cheek, before trailing down his throat.

The smirk never left the younger man's face. His fingers ran over Tseng's neck almost lovingly, before moving to remove Tseng's tie. One button was undone, and the hand pushed the shirt aside to expose the neck. The same fingers then settled around Tseng's neck in a frighteningly familiar position, before it tightened. Tseng choked as he felt his air supply blocked. He coughed, gasping for air, and heard the light laughter of his tormentor before the fingers relaxed. Tseng breathed deeply, trying to regain control of himself, and as he did so a trickle of blood dripped from his lips. Tseng knew the choking he did probably upset his injury in some way, and he hated the coppery taste in his mouth.

The younger male held Tseng's face in his hands, before leaning forward and licking the blood off. Tseng wasn't prepared for the intimacy of their contact, and couldn't suppress the shudder. He felt the redhead's lips curl upwards into a wider smirk, before one of those hands lowered to caress Tseng's wound. The Turk finally reacted, closing his hand over the stranger's and stopping further movement.

"…Stop it…"

Foreign lips moved to his ear and nipped it almost gently. The voice spoke again, light and carefree, as if Tseng wasn't injured at all "Where's the fun in that?" They both knew Tseng probably won't last, he was injured, dazed, and could pass out any moment. As it was, the stranger continued "It's a rare opportunity, for the insignificant people such as me to have a Turk like this…completely at our mercy. What's wrong? Perhaps my actions alarm you, because you haven't had anyone touch you so intimately before? Well, maybe the presidents and a select few others have, but they were for lust only, weren't they? Plus, you could never go against them."

Tseng's eyes instantly shot open in shock, but even then he could not see the stranger clearly as his spherical vision was still weak. The sharp release of a breath by his ear told Tseng the stranger was probably amused at his reaction, because they both knew it was true. As Tseng's body remained motionless, the redhead draped his arms around Tseng's shoulders, pulling the two of them closer into an embrace. Unlike Tseng, the stranger was warm, and the Turk was unable to resist it when his body was so cold. The redhead then titled his head up and kissed the Turk on his lips.

A rush of emotions and sensations swept over Tseng like a wave; shock, disbelief…terror. This was wrong on so many levels, Turk and terrorist, they were in opposite sides. This was a serious breach, and Tseng knew if this was ever discovered, he could very well lose his job and maybe even his life, and ShinRa probably won't listen to his explanations. But it was nothing compared to the terror he felt when he realized that he wanted this. Those 'select few' he had slept with had never embraced or kissed him, at least not without some sort of wild lust.

It still wasn't right though, Tseng could taste danger in those lips. There was a mixture of wilderness, and an uncontrollable passion and spirit, but there was a strong sense of danger as well. It wouldn't be a kiss one would describe as warm – though it physically was – or loving – since there was their identities to be worried about – but Tseng knew this would be burned into his memory. He knew he wouldn't be able to forget this, even if he did not know who the stranger kissing him was. Tseng didn't know whether that was for the better or worst, at the moment all he knew was that his flesh wanted this, but his endurance was weak. If this continued, he would literally die in this terrorist's arms. Already his vision was blurring…

Reno felt the Turk fall limp at last. Satisfied for the moment, the redhead reached into Tseng's jacket and pulled out a cell phone. Knowing Tseng, the phone numbers saved here were all business-related. Randomly selecting a number Reno vaguely remembered as a fellow Turk in his old world, he sent a text message calling for help. The last thing Reno wanted was his voice to be heard and then recognized at some distant time. With that done, he wiped the cell phone clean of his fingerprints, before standing up and leaving the Turk alone. Another visit to his fellow terrorists, or to the currently comatose-Cloud, was in order. What with him helping the terrorists in a gunfight against the Turks, maybe he could squeeze more money out of Orion.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"From the eyes themselves, it's next to impossible to look the person up" the man was saying. Rufus ignored him, staring at the sheet in his hands.

While not exactly artistic, the vice president had a photographic memory and given time, the ability to reproduce that image with his hands. The glowing – was it just the light, or was it mako? – Turquoise eyes of the terrorist who had actually shot him stared back up at him through the sketch Rufus had drawn. Rufus knew he would never forget those eyes, not until he could find the person they belonged to.

No one had seen him bleed before, especially not potential enemy. The terrorist who had dared shoot him will pay.

"I don't care what you say," Rufus hissed as he threw several sheets of unimportant paper into the man's face. The man flinched at Rufus' threatening gaze "find every single person under our records whose eyes matched these. If you wish, consider it part of your job, as this person is no doubt working for terrorist groups. I don't care how many results we get, just have the results by my desk as soon as possible."

"Yes sir" The man left in a hurry, no doubt wanting to get away from Reno as soon as possible. Rufus scowled and pushed his hair out of his eyes. He dearly wanted to rant, but his secretary was currently out of his reach and the Turks were out tending to the wounded.

A shootout, and from what he's seen a pretty serious one; the terrorists really were getting bold. And of course his dear father won't respond to the incident properly. He'll yell at the Turks, and whoever else was in his reach, to work harder and find the ones responsible. Then he'll tell the doctors to patch up those injured, but ignore the property damage since it does not affect him directly. The citizens of Midgar will then be dissatisfied with the lack of repairs and possibly lean more to the terrorists' side.

Honestly, his father had no idea how to rule properly.

In the best scenario, the terrorists will kill his father, allowing Rufus to succeed and kill off all the terrorists under the cover of them being responsible for his father's death. Throw in some propaganda and accuse the terrorists of every wrong in the city, and the public could be swayed to either support him or stay silent. Pick some of the more popular terrorists and try to convince them to work in ShinRa, and it will give Rufus the image of someone who is willing to listen to the public.

He looked back down at the eyes he had drawn, the terrorist who owned those eyes knew what he was doing. The question was why the terrorist didn't kill him. The terrorist was no doubt a sharpshooter, if the accuracy of the bullets which had been fired at his hands was anything to go by. It would have been easy for the terrorist to kill him, but he didn't. Yet the eyes held no pity for the blond, nor did it seem to be an attempt to take as little lives as possible.

No, the terrorist simply decided not to bother killing him, because the terrorist was trying to drag the body of his other terrorist friend away. The Vice President frowned, that terrorist showed more compassion to a corpse then to the state of events at that time. If he had seen it correctly and the terrorist really had Mako eyes, Rufus wondered whether it was some ex-SOLDIER who had left ShinRa because of some conscience or petty grudge. For all he knew, it could be a Turk as well, but if it had been the case Rufus would have known. The Turks were close to him, Rufus would know if one of them left.

He continued staring at the eyes.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Sephiroth! There you are! Have a seat!"

"This is my office, and get off my seat Knightblade."

"It's Zack! Anyways, did I ever tell you how much I love you?"

"Whatever it is, the answer is either a no or an I-won't-forgive-you-for-whatever-mess-you've-made."

"Well, you'll calmly accept any bad news, right? No killing the messenger? I'm just the messenger!"

"Depending on how fast you run right after you've delivered it"

"I'm sure you won't mind doing extra work, it'll be a breeze for you!"

"The office window is high enough, I will jump."

The smile finally fell off Zack's face "You can't do that! You're…Sephiroth! Suicide goes against…whatever rule or number in the SOLDIER Handbook!"

"Watch me"

"Sephiroth please, this is serious!"

"You have one minute"

"The murder of two families closely linked to ShinRa, then a shoot out between some terrorists and Turks, which resulted in almost half of them temporally out of action, really drove the point in that the terrorists are willing to go through any means to accomplish their goals, and we might not be able to respond properly. So aside from throwing more cadets against terrorists and increasing the shifts of ShinRa workers, it's decided that you have to add in your efforts. You'll be responsible for protecting the presidents and directing operations to catch the terrorists while at the same time you have to find more recruits and reassure the public that ShinRa will prevail and since you're getting that scary look on your face I'll leave now good luck!" In speeds capable only of Mako-enchanted soldiers, Zack was out the door and gone from Sephiroth's sight.

The general kept relatively calm, and moved to sit down in his now vacant chair. He stared at the paperwork, originally neatly stacked, but now rather messy due to Zack's interference. The dark-haired man was probably bored while waiting for him again. As he began sifting through the paperwork again, Sephiroth considered his new responsibilities. He had gotten involved in those activities before, but never had been actually told to do them at the same time simply due to some terrorists and the presidents' paranoia. Wasn't protecting them solely the responsibility of the Turks? Simply because half of them were out action didn't mean the other half couldn't do their work right?

And reassuring the public….was he to play poster boy again?

What was he, some counter for the infamous Somnus?

His interest in Somnus was already increasing. From the latest report, it seemed as if Somnus' choice of weapon had something to do with electricity. It was almost a pity that nobody knows what Somnus looked like, Sephiroth wouldn't mind a duel between them, he really wouldn't. At times, he wanted a capable opponent on the terrorists' side, just so his dealings with them won't get so monotone (find them, kill them).

He looked out of his office; he could see the lights flickering below. Many people living different lives, and one of them will be – has to be – Somnus himself. What would someone Somnus be doing? Did he spend his time alone, like Sephiroth did? Or will Somnus have a family whom he generally cared for, maybe friends he would die for? Maybe a select few of the lives down there will know exactly who Somnus was, and were celebrating another day where Somnus has evaded ShinRa capture. On the other hand, maybe Somnus was right now more stressed and worried then Sephiroth was, maybe he knew the people who got into the shootout and was tending their wounds.

Sephiroth didn't know it, but he was correct.

Down at the slums, Reno helped clean the wounds of an injured man before moving to where Orion was. The redhead leaned against the wall and spoke "we've got a few dead, and many injured, but overall I'll say the group can recover soon enough. Not meaning to brag, but if I haven't arrived, there would have been more casualties, yo."

"I heard" Orion said "the men have already told me of how you've turned the tide to our favour, forcing the Turks to flee. You stayed behind to make sure they could be sent away before chasing after the Turks, by the way, did you find any?"

"No, the rain washed off all traces" Reno lied easily. Orion sighed.

"ShinRa will be angry; they will no doubt take more aggressive moves against the civilians in hopes of trying to catch the 'ones responsible'. Once they try that, the civilians will start looking at us as the more favorable option." Orion looked at Reno "you know, for a higher amount of money…"

"I am not suicidal, Orion" Reno interrupted. "No matter how much money you offer me, or how many compliments I receive about my skills, there is no way in hell that I'm going to go finish off the Turks like I did with those other ShinRa weaklings."

"You've finished off Soldiers and Soldier trainers before"

"But even I'm not crazy enough to attack those with the magic 'First Class' label, Orion. While I do not care so much about the wrath of those with ShinRa blood, I draw the line against Sephiroth."

"You're lying"

"Excuse me?"

"Your eyes betray you, that shadow in your eyes, Sephiroth isn't just a threat to you, it's something deeper." Orion moved his wheelchair forward, bringing himself closer to the supposed mercenary "you fear him, true, but you seem to have more against him then simply because of the man's legendary skills. If anything, it seems to be a bit more personal" Orion smiled "perhaps…you once had your own personal encounter with the general, and he ruined your life? Maybe…"

"Orion" Reno's voice had changed. There was something darker in that tone, and the warning was clear "do not, I tell you, do not prod into my past. I do not welcome such…concern of yours, from you or anyone else. I do not look at my past with relish, and the last thing I need is being reminded of it." The redhead slammed his hands onto the wheelchair's armrests before leaning forward. Despite Orion's obvious stockier built and extra height, he was sitting down, giving the mercenary an advantage. Reno leaned forward and stared down at Orion, almost coldly.

"Whatever has happened in the past, I guarantee you, will not affect my performance. Sephiroth will not recognize me either, so if worst comes to worst and the First Class Soldiers do find us, we will fight without any personal grudge. That is the only circumstance I see that would make me try to kill him or any First Class Soldier. There will be nothing personal, no grudge or deep desire to kill each other. Unless, of course, those ShinRa dogs find out I am Somnus, then I will have a hell lot more ShinRa soldiers screaming for my blood. Until then, I do not have a death wish and therefore, I am not inclined to seek a confrontation with the more famous fighters."

It occurred to Reno that this conversation was getting too personal already. He couldn't decipher the meaning in the look Orion now gave him. There was no fear at his words, but nor was there any understanding in those sharp eyes. Orion would not understand him or his reasons. The man was too deeply entrenched in his own agenda and goals. Pulling back, Reno straightened and looked at the people around them, being treated or helping treat the more seriously injured. The mood there was light, but Reno was no longer inclined to spend any more time with Orion, much less ask for some more cash.

Maybe he should apologize for his words. He didn't want to, but right now Orion was his paycheck, so he'll have to throw his pride aside.

"My apologies, Orion, I got carried away. If you don't mind, I'm going to drop by my friend's to see how they're doing."

He didn't sound too sincere, nor did he wait for an answer. Reno simply turned and exited the building, but he could feel eyes on his back. Reno rubbed his forehead, wondering whether it will be more difficult working with Orion after that conversation. Should he look for another employer soon?

Well, better not get carried away this time, Reno thought as he arrived to the church. Aerith was absent at the moment, probably had gone out to sell her flowers. The redhead spotted familiar spikes of blond hair, and moved forward, carefully placing his feet to make sure he didn't step on the flowers. He plopped down beside Cloud's form and stared at the pale face, healthier, but still unmoving. Reno shifted, looked around to confirm that nobody was listening, and spoke "why won't you wake up…?"

The form remained motionless, Reno shifted again.

"Wake up, yo, I don't know how long I'll last before I do something crazy, I need someone to talk to about recent events…"

Silence.

"….scratch that, I already did something risky. Today I finally met Tseng…."

I bet all of you thought this fic was dead. I seriously considered leaving it at the side, since it didn't seem so successful. Then I received the 7 reviews, a number I usually set to get myself to continue, and I thought 'why not?' I do need to take a break from This Vampire's Addiction at times, the plotting required there drives me crazy