*grumbles irritably* Just as I get all these notes written out, the program dies and I have to do it all over again! Argh! *kicks her computer*

Ahem. Anyhoo, here 'tis! Part four! *huggles everyone who's reviewed her fic so far* Thank you! I love you forever! ^______^

Hm…it seems that I lied. It doesn't get fluffy in this part….it might not even get fluffy till part six. ^^; At the rate I'm going, this is the fic that will never end. Heh…

I also think I should probably get off my lazy butt and start playing the game again. It's been ages since I last played, and since the fic is going to be wandering into the realm of game time soon, I need to know what I'm doing. Even I can't bullshit that well. ^^;

Enjoy!

~*~Requiem: Part 4~*~

"You're a what?" I asked incredulously, not quite believing.

"Turk." Tseng repeated in answer to my earlier question. "The Turks are-"

"I know what they are," I interrupted, "I'm just having a hard time believing you, of all people, are a Turk." I quirked a smile. "Somehow you just don't strike me as a cold, ruthless assassin. Or a spy. Or anything like that. Hell, I'd be less surprised to find out you were a fucking teddy bear!"

Tseng's lips twitched up into a smile at that. "You asked, I answered. Besides, it's not as if we run around killing people all the time. It's part of the job, but not all of it."

I raised an eyebrow at him. He sounded almost defensive. Like he had to justify his job to me. I resisted the urge to snort. "Listen, I don't have a problem with you being a Turk. Just surprised is all. You just seem too damned nice to do that sort of thing." I eyed him suspiciously, "You sure you don't work in…I dunno, a flower shop or something? Or maybe a church?"

Tseng laughed, and I couldn't help but smile. Okay, so the thought of him being a priest was a little ridiculous. But a Turk? I suddenly flashed on the way he'd been…that night…when he'd held the gun on me, before he realized who I was. I remembered those cold, emotionless eyes. Okay, maybe it wasn't so hard to believe after all.

I paused in my thoughts, realizing Tseng was pinning me with a rather thoughtful look. After a few minutes, I began to squirm slightly under that stare, and finally gave in to my curiosity. "What!?" I huffed in exasperation, "You're looking at me like I grew another fucking head or something!"

Looking amused, Tseng simply shrugged and said, "I was just thinking."

"About?" I asked impatiently, resisting the urge to throw something at the irritating man.

Amusement fading, Tseng pinned me again with a serious stare. It was a long moment before he spoke. "Reno, what would you say if I asked you to join the Turks?"

I stared at him incredulously, not quite believing my ears. Tseng had just asked me to become a Turk? Me, a scrawny little nobody, become a Turk? The organization was practically famous! Or, I conceded with a small grin, perhaps infamous would be a better word.

"I think you'd do quite well." Tseng continued, "You have a sharp intellect, one of the most important attributes of a Turk, and any skills you lack can be easily rectified with a bit of training. And, more importantly, I don't think you'd have a problem with the pressure." He sighed, "We've had more then one of our people crack under the strain, but somehow I don't think the pressures of the job will affect you overly much."

I grinned, still not quite believing what I was hearing. "The first few weeks you knew me, I was fucking loopy." I tapped the side of my head meaningfully, "Abso-fucking-lutely crazy. And you think I won't crack?" I laughed, "No offense, but you must either be stupid or blind."

To my surprise, Tseng just smiled and shook his head. "That incident aside, when before that did you ever lose control? In all these years, did the strain of living the life you were forced into ever make you snap?"

I blinked, not quite sure if he was serious about this whole Turk thing or not. It just didn't seem believable. "No, not really. I just shrugged all the shit off. Dealt with it and moved on."

"Do you trust my judgment?" He asked.

"At this point, I'm not so sure…" I muttered, but when he continued to regard me seriously, I sighed. "Yeah, I trust you."

Again, he smiled, and merely asked, "Will you become a Turk? Or at least consider it? It wouldn't be fair of me to force you into an answer without letting you think it-"

"I'll do it." I interrupted. I did that a lot. I'm surprised he hadn't slapped me upside the head for it by now.

Tseng stared at me, surprise plain. "Are you sure? Shouldn't you give it a little more consideration?"

I shrugged, enjoying his surprise. "What's there to consider? I trust you, and it ain't like I got anything in the way of other options. Unless you like having me sit on my butt in your house all day…"

He chuckled at that, shaking his head. "Very decisive, aren't you?"

I grinned at him. "Why not? The only thing a few days of considering would do is give me more time to second guess myself."

"I suppose that's true," Tseng agreed, still looking amused.

In truth, there was another reason entirely for me taking up his offer. Hell, don't get me wrong, the thought of the money, notoriety, and power were plenty in themselves, but the main reason I agreed was because of Tseng. I knew I couldn't stay here forever. If I didn't join the Turks, eventually I'd have to move on, leave. Try to scrape together the sad remnants of my life and do…something. Despite Tseng's promise, I'd be alone again.

The thought sent a small shiver of fear up my spine, and I shook it off. I wasn't stupid. I was honest enough with myself to admit I'd latched onto him, that somewhere in the brief time we'd known each other I'd turned him into my source of strength. I needed him, and I needed him desperately. I knew it wasn't exactly what you'd call 'healthy', but that was simply the way it was. At this point the was my center, and if being a Turk allowed me to remain near him, then that was all that mattered.

I made a mental cringe of disgust. That made me sound so fucking pathetic it wasn't even funny. Just…sad.

"Well, then," Tseng said, interrupting my thoughts, "When do you feel up to starting your training?"

"Soon as possible, I guess," I replied, grinning, "'Sides, no point in waiting around, is there? Sooner I start training, the sooner I can do something besides sit on my butt, watch TV, and eat." I put a hand on my stomach, assuming a look of girlish disgust. "Will you look at this!?" I demanded, "I'm a blimp! Why, I must've gained a pound! Did you hear me? I said a pound, a whole pound!" I put a hand to my head dramatically, pretending to faint. Fighting off a grin, I cracked an eye open to judge Tseng's reaction to my melodramatic outburst.

Tseng was regarding me with his head cocked to the side, one eyebrow raised. And from the look of it, he was trying to fight off a grin of his own. Good. I thought in satisfaction. As nice a guy as Tseng was, he didn't laugh nearly enough. It gave me warm feeling to see him smile. Especially when I was the cause.

He coughed. "Well," he said, amusement plain in his voice, "I for one think you could stand to gain more then a pound. Are you sure you've been eating at all?"

I snorted, sitting up. "Yeah, yeah. Pick on the skinny guy. It ain't my fault I'm not built like a tank." I looked him over appraisingly, "That's like the pot talking to the kettle. You aren't all that big yourself." I pointed out.

Okay, so Tseng was bigger then me, and definitely more muscular, but he wasn't big, not like some guys I'd seen. Though, he did have a point. I grimaced slightly. I was far from what you'd call big, in fact I was downright slender. Which wouldn't be so bad, but guys aren't supposed to be slender. Girls are slender, not guys. I hate my life… I thought irritably.

Standing up, Tseng cast me another one of his amused glances. "Whatever you say, Reno. Though I expect if you took off your shirt, I'd be able to see your ribs."

"Fuck off, you irritating old bastard." I grinned again, showing I wasn't really angry.

"You started it," Tseng pointed out with unfailing logic.

I stuck out my tongue in a burst of childishness. "Didn't I tell you to fuck off?"

Tseng raised an eyebrow, and I couldn't tell if it was because of my childish behavior or bad language. Probably both. I probably cussed more in one sentence then he had in his entire life. "As you wish. I was planning on going and talking to Deia about putting you in the training program. I believe we have one or two others about to start in a week or so." He turned to go, then paused, looking back at me, "I'm not sure when I'm going to be back…will you be alright?"

I smiled, strangely touched by his concern. "Of course! I'll be fine. Get outta here Mr. Big Tough Turk. I'll just watch your TV, eat your food and gain more weight."

He smiled, nodded, and then he was gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, an idiotic grin on my face. "You, my dear Reno," I said to my reflection, "are one handsome devil." Looking myself over critically, my smile faded. Something about the man in the mirror just did not look right. I stared a bit more, trying to figure out what was wrong.

I'd just finished my six-month long training course, earning the title of Turk, along with the trademark suit. Clean and pressed, the suit was what I now wore. I looked like I'd just stepped out of the pages of Businessman Monthly or something.

I paused in my thoughts, slapping my forehead when I realized the problem. Of course! I looked like some sort of little Tseng clone or something. How disgusting. Don't get me wrong; much as I liked Tseng, the man was just too damned neat for his own good. Unbuttoning the jacket, I untucked the white shirt underneath, pulled off the tie, and unbuttoned the first few buttons on the white shirt for good measure.

I smiled at my reflection. Much better. Still…there was something missing. Glancing down at the table, my grin widened as I picked up the pair of sunglasses lying there, putting them back on their accustomed place on the top of my head.

Perfect.

Now I was ready to haul my little butt down to headquarters. I snorted. It fucking figured that my first day on the job I'd have to sit through a meeting listening to Heidegger, whom I'd never met, but already didn't like, ramble on about god knows what. All I knew was that everyone detested the meetings, and hated Heidegger even more.

I smirked slightly. It didn't matter. If it was too boring, I'd sleep. Or find something else to amuse myself. I might have to attend, but nobody ever said I had to listen.

Whistling to myself, I looked over myself in the mirror once more, then turned and vanished out the door.

I arrived at headquarters a few minutes later, still whistling. Deia, former Turk turned receptionist smiled at me when I walked in the door. "Well, hello there Reno. You look like you're in a good mood today."

Leaning over the desk, I kissed her on the cheek and favored her with my most dazzling smile. "Of course! Now that I've seen your lovely face, how could I be anything other than wonderful?"

She just shook her head and smiled, used to my flirting. In reality, she was pushing forty, and probably old enough to be my mother. I wasn't lying when I said she was pretty though. Considering how pretty she was now, she was probably a knockout twenty years ago.

Besides, I got a kind of double pleasure from flirting with her. First of all, it seemed to amuse her to no end, and I know she felt a bit flattered, no matter what she said. The second was her husband. The man seemed to think I was out to steal his wife from him; and he hated me. Which was a source of never-ending amusement for me. He was so damned fun to provoke. Too bad he wasn't around now.

"Reno."

I turned around to see Rude standing behind me. I'd met him during the training course; he'd been one of the others to go through that nightmare with me. He was big as a house and didn't talk much. About as opposite from me as you could get. But somehow the big guy and I had formed a friendship over the past few months, and were now damned near inseparable.

His suit, I noticed with a grin, was every bit as immaculate as Tseng's. I shook my head. They were both crazy. "Hey!" I greeted, "So Rude, how does it feel to finally be a Turk?"

He stared at me silently for a moment, and then shrugged. "The same as it felt before."

Letting out a long-suffering sigh, I just shook my head. "Sometimes I wonder about you, man. I really do."

"The meeting's going to start soon." He pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah." I waved a hand dismissively. "That Heidegger asshole can stick it up his-"

"A Turk for less then a day, and you're already cursing Heidegger." Interrupted a voice tinged with amusement.

Oh, hell. People certainly did like sneaking up on me today, didn't they? I turned around to see Tseng and Eric, the latter grinning from ear to ear. "Hmm…" he said, "I think he'll fit in just fine, don't you, Tseng?"

Tseng made a noise of agreement, raising his eyebrows slightly as he took in my less then professional appearance. I half expected him to comment, but all he said was, "Well, I for one certainly don't want to have to listen to that old mule rant and rave, so I think it would be in our best interests if we weren't late."

Still grinning, Eric nodded and glanced at Rude and I, "I think it would be best to listen to the boss man, don't you?" He hopped down from where he'd been perched on Deia's desk, and disappeared through the door. Tseng followed suit, and glancing back to check and make sure Rude was coming, I did the same.

I looked around curiously as we walked. I'd only been back here once or twice, seeing as non -Turks technically weren't allowed. Went against regulations or some sort of crap like that. Taking note of the route to the conference hall so I'd be able to get there on my own next time, I followed Tseng and Eric, feeling almost eager. At the very worst, I'd still be able to make fun of Heidegger afterwards.

The conference room consisted of a large rectangular table, a large television nearly dominating one of the walls, and a whole scattering of papers, charts and various other things. Right now the table was nearly filled with Turks, some I recognized, some I didn't.

Plunking down in one of the empty seats, I propped my legs up on the table, waiting for this Heidegger jerk to show.

Becoming aware of someone staring at me, I glanced over to my right to see a pretty little brunette girl studying me curiously. She was one of the ones I didn't recognize. Blushing when she realized she'd been caught staring, she extended a hand. "Hi," she said almost shyly, "My name's Maya. I don't think I've seen you before, are you new?"

Taking her extended hand, I replied, "I don't think we've met either, I'd be sure to remember meeting a lady as beautiful as you." She blushed, and I smiled in satisfaction. "Yeah, I'm new. Just out of the training program. Name's Reno."

That caught her attention. She gaped at me. "You're Reno?"

Raising an eyebrow, I said. "Yeah, I'm Reno. I take it you've heard of me or something?" I was surprised and a little confused by her reaction.

If possible, she only blushed darker. "I-I'm sorry. It's just that you're…almost famous around here." That caught my attention. Me? Famous? "Well," she continued on seeing my surprise, "It's just that according to rumor, you're something of a prodigy. Donovan couldn't stop talking about how quickly you caught on to everything he taught you."

I stared at her in disbelief. Donovan, the man who had trained me, hated me. I'm talking kill you in your sleep and dance on your grave kinda hate. I was a fast learner, sure, but hardly a prodigy, and if Donovan couldn't stop talking about me, it'd be about how much he hates me. Certainly not to praise me. "Are you sure?" I asked, "I mean, maybe you're thinking Rude? Four letter name, starts with an R…cuz you sure as hell couldn't be talking about me. Donovan hates me."

She shook her head, smiling. "No, he was talking about you. Not to mention how fond Tseng is of you. Don't misunderstand, Tseng is the best leader we could ever ask for, and he likes most of us just fine. Its just…" she shrugged. "Never mind. It just says a lot about you, is all."

I was about to ask her more when the door opened with a bang. And judging from the not-so-thrilled expression on everyone's face, I had to guess that the fat man in the doorway was Heidegger. I regarded him curiously as everyone scrambled for their seats. Didn't see what was so great about the guy that he'd be head of the Turks. Instinct told me flat out that Tseng should definitely be the one in that position, not Mr. Fatso. Okay, not terribly original, I know, but you have to admit, it's fitting.

He lumbered over to the head of the table, where he surveyed everyone with a critical eye. His gaze stopped on me, and he glared at my feet, which were still propped on the table. Heidegger shot me a meaningful look, and couldn't have been any clearer if he'd flat out told me to get my goddamned feet off the table. I simply smiled at him, wiggling my fingers in his direction in a little wave, and kept my feet where they were.

Heh. Reno: 1, Fatso: 0.

He just glared at me for a moment longer, turning so red I could almost see the steam coming out his ears, before turning back to the rest of the room and beginning the meeting. I had the feeling that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Trying to keep the smirk off my face, I settled myself more comfortably.

I only listened to the meeting with half an ear. It was mostly politics, which didn't even pertain to me, and on top of that it was incredibly dull politics. I was in serious danger of dozing off toward the end of the meeting, when something Heidegger said caught my interest.

"Before we wrap things up, I have another order of business to discuss. President Shinra has been receiving threatening letters recently, as I'm sure some of you have heard." There were a few nods around the table, "Naturally, we've increased security, but the president wants this person stopped. The letters have been getting more frequent, and more threatening as time goes on. The man seems to have some sort of personal vendetta."

"Tseng, I'll leave it in your hands to decide who the job goes to." Tseng nodded. "You'll be supplied with the letters, as well as anything else you'll require. The president wants this man dead before the week is out, understood?" Again, there were more nods.

"Good."

At that point, I heard the most frightening thing I've ever been subjected to in my life. Heidegger laughed. There were a few winces, and even Rude looked rather taken aback. And for Rude, that's saying a lot. As for myself, I nearly fell out of my chair, and it took all my willpower to resist covering my ears. I've never heard such a fucking horrible sound.

After Heidegger had left and everyone was discussing the mission, I cleared my throat, getting everyone's attention. "I have a suggestion." I said, smirking. When Tseng gestured for me to continue, I shrugged and said, "If we want this guy dead so bad, why don't we just send Heidegger and make him laugh the guy to death? I mean, sometimes people survive a bullet, but no one could survive that."

That got a laugh out of nearly everyone, even Tseng. "Be that as it may," said the dark haired Turk, smiling slightly, "I doubt Heidegger would appreciate the sentiment."

I just grinned and shrugged, "Just a suggestion."

"I think you've broken some sort of record," said a voice to my right.

Looking over at Maya, I asked, "And what record would that be?"

She laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone make Heidegger so mad that fast." She shot me a serious look, "I'd be careful. Heidegger can make your life hell if he wants to. It's not a good idea to make an enemy of him."

I shrugged and smiled cheekily. "He's welcome to try if he wants to. I'll let you in on a secret…I don't like him either."

Maya shot me an odd look, "You're a strange one, Reno."

"So I've been told."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Reno."

I glanced over my shoulder to see Tseng following me out of the conference room. "Yessir?"

"How would you like to take the assignment?" He asked.

I blinked at him. He had to be joking, right? Taking in his serious expression, I realized he wasn't. "You'd trust this to me?"

He nodded. "I want you and Rude to work on this together, actually. I could give it to someone else, but you two both need the experience, and I think you'll do just fine." He smiled, "You're certainly smart enough to be able to figure out this little puzzle."

"Huh." I said, still surprised. "Well, you're the boss, if you think that we can handle it, then we can handle it. You talk to Rude yet?

Tseng nodded. "He's already agreed."

"Well, then," I said, with my trademark grin, "I guess it's already been decided. When do we start?"

"As soon as you feel up to it," Tseng replied, smiling slightly.

"Better now then later, I think. Wouldn't do to have the president turn up dead on us, now would it?" I swept him a courtly bow, glancing up at him and winking. "You can consider the job as good as done." With that, I straightened up and went of in search of my buddy.

I couldn't help but smile, thinking of Tseng's confidence in my abilities. I was willing to do anything to deserve that confidence, anything to keep him from regretting his decision to keep me around, anything to keep him from being disappointed.

I'd do this job right if it killed me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Next chapter: Rude and Reno's first mission, Rude gets a haircut, and everyone's favorite redhead discovers the joys of alcohol. ^_^

And one more thing…see that button? *points down* The one on the left? No, no. Not the little link, the *button*. Yes, that's the one. Push it. Yes…that's right, you know you want to…good reader. ^_____^