--Disclaimer: I don't own FF7 or its characters/locations. I only own this idea and Kisho. Don't flame me, or I'll report you and do horrible tests on you too.--

AN: I always thank you for the reviews, because you need to be thanked!
To show I am reading them, here's a personal response to each one based after chapter 5!

1. YinYangWhiteTiger – I know, Yuffie made me laugh randomly after the whole 'materia chicken' thing!
2. Zeffie Turquoise – Um…thank you! O.o
3. Ruby – I made the chapter too long! Sorry about that! But I'm glad you like it!
4. Kigichi – Yeah, it seems a lot of people like the materia-making power I gave him. And I have slow-updates because college is very hard and time consuming. So, sorry for all the waiting.
5. FreakZilla – thanks for the review:D

I must also apologize for the serious lack in updates…but this is peak-season in coursework and deadlines are very strict. I've also been pretty ill and haven't been in the mood to write.
But once again too all those who waited, thank you! And here's that chapter I spent too long on!
And if you want to see CONCEPT ART for this story, check out my deviantart page! Just click my homepage on my profile! And away we go:D

Off we go into the wonderful world that is Reno! Please, mind your step!

The Fall & Rise of Reno of The Turks

Part 6: Rufus' Little Monster

"RENO! STOP!" Rufus yelled at the top of his lungs, unable to launch after his enraged friend…with the ex-Turk being inhumanly fast it proved impossible for the average person, including Rufus, to grab a hold of him.

"RENO!" he yelled again, this time, more frantic and heartbroken in tone…as the mutating beast got within an arms reach of Tseng being brutally mauled to death.
At that very distance, Reno halted…frozen in mid-charge and his eyes widened…filled with terror.

"He…he stopped?" Tifa questioned, wondering what on Gaia had caused that sudden outburst to end as quickly as it began.

"RENO!" Rufus cried out as he dashed beside the slightly weary ex-Turk, who had now taken multiple steps backwards away from Tseng.

"Rufus, don't get too close! He might snap again!" Cloud warned.

But Rufus wasn't paying attention, he was too worried about Reno's condition and how he was feeling. Rufus said so himself that even the slightest upset could reveal dangerous results, and Tseng was very lucky to get away without even being touched.
The strawberry blonde knelt beside his mentally disturbed friend, placing an arm around his shoulder to comfort his trauma. Whatever he saw that made him stop must have been powerful, it was obviously a 'vision' of some sort that flashed before his eyes just in time…causing him to halt his rage.

"Reno, are you alright?" Rufus asked softly, trying as best he could to disguise his worried nature.

"…i…impossible…" Tseng gawked, baffled and slightly dazed by what just happened.

"Tseng, you're so damn cruel! I wish Reno did attack you for shooting him!" Elena snapped.

"Be quiet, Elena." Tseng growled in irritation, shaking his head and instructing her to be silent.
The blonde pouted and turned away, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. Surely Tseng knew better than to be so careless, and to go against Rufus' orders.
The tension was building too, with Reno still suffering from mental shock and Tseng proving more than a problem, Cloud chose to step forward and give the red-head as much 'breathing space' as possible.

"Tseng, you better get out of here before Reno regains his senses. He might attack again." Cloud informed, First Tsurugi now placed on his back.

"Hmph…and when did you suddenly care about me?" Tseng snorted in question, glaring at Cloud as if judging him.
The blonde just gave the same look back to the Turk, giving him the impression that this was serious…and not the right time to pick fights.

"I don't. I just don't want Reno to snap again, he's creepy when he looks like that." Cloud answered.
Tseng shifted his gaze to behind Cloud…where Rufus was still cradling the mortified Reno beside him, his eyes wide and filled with terror…those monstrous eyes.

"Heh. Fine…Elena, Rude come on. We're going." Tseng huffed, waving his colleagues to follow him as he approached the exit.
Rude was first to follow, pausing for a few seconds to glance down at Reno…who was still being held by Rufus as if he was acting like a parent to the red-head…and Rude found it most disturbing seeing the president act so soft, he couldn't help but hold back a smile.
Rufus really did have a friend…and all this time ShinRa employees where fooled into thinking he hated everyone; the Turks being the main target for irritancy, and Reno being the thorn in the Turks side…causing the irritation.
He always got the sour end of Rufus, they would be arguing for ages…and for some reason, Rufus never chose to fire the red-head.
He never even gave Tseng permission until recently…even that was hard for him to go through with.
Rude nodded at Rufus once he realised he had the presidents attention, before taking his leave…followed by Elena, who was very relieved that they where going elsewhere.

"Heh. Those guys never change." Tifa sighed with relief once the Turks had gone…and pretty soon everyone had become more relaxed.
Reno had stopped panicking and shivering, but Rufus still refused to let him go. Since the red-head was still wide eyed and very unsure of what was going on around him. That alone posed as a danger.

"Well…this one has…" Nanaki added, approaching slightly towards Rufus and Reno with the others to see if his condition had changed anymore.
Everyone had noticed a slight change once the 'attack' was halted…the darkness on Reno had stretched further across his torso and was now working it's way to consume the right side of his body.
If he didn't get help soon, he would fully transform…and stay that way forever.

"…poor Reno…" Yuffie sulked, gazing down at the terrified creature before her.
Rufus hadn't budged one bit since he took place by Reno's side, and it didn't look like he'd move anytime soon either.

"Rufus, I think we should go to Kalm and see his mother. She might be able to help us." Cloud began, until an announcement speaker sounded and actually caused Rufus to pay attention to something else OTHER than Reno.

"kck…Rufus ShinRa to Lab 12…repeat…Rufus ShinRa to lab 12…kck" the speaker sounded, crackling out after the announcement was given.
Rufus got to his feet slowly, so not to startle Reno any further, and helped haul him off the ground and to his feet…letting the red-heads demonic left arm rest along his shoulders.

"…you guys go on to Kalm and get some answers from Reno's mom, I'll take him upstairs." Rufus suggested.

"What!?" Cloud gawked, not expecting Rufus to cooperate one bit at all.

"You didn't expect me to leave him with you, did you? He's not stable…might go mad if you got into any fights on the way there." Rufus pointed out, adjusting how Reno was resting on him to a more comfortable position.

"But we're going by airship, why'd we run into any god damn fights!?" Cid snapped.
Rufus didn't speak or even make a sound, instead he chose to point in Yuffie's direction and deliver a serious stare at her…one he was well known for giving people he saw that needed a little intimidation.

"Why are you pointing at me!!!? What have I done!!?" Yuffie whined.
Everyone glared at her and then turned back to Rufus, who was trying with all his might to keep Reno on his feet.
At this rate he'd have to give him a piggy-back ride upstairs…and with how much weight the red-head had put on due to the experiments, Rufus didn't quite fancy doing it.

"…good point. We'll go on ahead. Just be careful." Cloud agreed, before waving everyone to follow him to the exit.
Yuffie pouted as Cid dragged her outside and away from hassling Rufus about why he pointed at her, with Barrett being the last person to close the door.
It was good timing, Reno had finally 'awakened' from his trance of terror and was acting slightly drowsy, attempting to do things on his own…but his muscles must have weakened. Because he just sagged whenever he got the slightest bit lose from Rufus.

"Ugh….agh…" Reno whined, clenching his torso in agony. His eyes slammed shut as he tried with all his might to hold back the pain.
Rufus made light hushing sounds as he moved Reno back into the position he was in before, just so carrying him upstairs would be easier.

"Easy now, buddy. We'll get you fixed up…" Rufus whispered as he started to make his way forwards to the elevators.
Thankfully the lifts where operational so taking him up to the next floor wouldn't be a problem; it will be keeping him up there that will be the real challenge.

"Ahhh, Rufus! I'm so glad you're here!" a scientist welcomed the president as Rufus stepped from the elevator; a barely conscious Reno slumped on his back.
There where about 5 other scientists running around the place, and the 'glass tube' Reno was stored in before had been fixed…but all that was in it was the gas mask.
The red-head opened his eyes tiredly and gazed forwards, his left eye was only able to see what was going on…as the right eye was just staring at Rufus' neck due to how he was being carried.

"I brought Reno along just to keep him company, hope you don't mind." Rufus explained, wincing in discomfort as he adjusted how he held Reno again.

"E2-11!!? But I swear I heard Tseng say he shot him!" the scientist questioned franticly, shifting his gaze from the president to the half-conscious Reno…who moaned in agony as Rufus continued to try and keep him stood up and along his back.

"Direct shot to the head alright…I'm gonna give Tseng so much grief for scaring me like that." Rufus answered, finally allowing Reno's dragon-like feet to touch the ground.
For some reason, he seemed to have become even heavier after that trip upstairs.

"So…he healed instantly…if we are going to reverse the effects of the serum, we need to work quickly. The only problem is, we don't want to sedate him whilst we give him the reverse drug…it might just counter-act and ruin everything." The scientist explained, examining Reno…who raised his head tiredly to glance at the scientist…a slight growl seeping from the back of his throat.

"Don't worry, I'll keep him busy whilst you give him it." Rufus offered, before making hushing sounds to Reno again. Causing the red-head to ease his growling and threatening nature.
The scientist backed away slightly once Rufus nodded at him, to give him the message that it would be best to keep his distance until Reno fully woke up.

"Are you sure you still want to go through with this? After all…you instructed us to…"

"Don't mention what I did ever again. I'm not backing out of the experiment, but I'm not backing out of this either. Kisho should have been the only test subject." Rufus interrupted, carrying Reno towards a nearby operating table and setting him off his back…allowing the red-head to grasp the table with his dragon-like left hand and stand up by himself.

"I…don't understand…" the scientist questioned, narrowing his eyes as if trying to make sense of what Rufus was trying to say.
The president placed his hand on Reno's shoulder as the ex-Turk began panting…coughing up some more half-baked materia orbs, which the other scientists where eager to examine…but the red-head growled at them and bared his teeth, with Rufus being the only one able to cause him to stop by rubbing his shoulders and hushing him to calm down.

"Reno and I have been friends for years, I didn't want him to be put into this program…but dad told me if I didn't go ahead with it, ShinRa would fall and become worthless. Now that I have seen how bad this project really is, I don't want Reno to suffer anymore…pull him out of it." Rufus explained, not looking at the scientist.

"But…"

"If you don't pull him out of the project, then I'll pull you out of it. You'll still have Kisho when we capture him." Rufus informed, still not choosing to look at the scientist. Instead, he chose the pat Reno's back and help him clear his throat of whatever materia was in there.
The experiments truly where horrible…if Reno was a full-breed of Fukumaden this wouldn't happen, and since he was forced into awakening his powers, his body doesn't know what to do…so everything overloads.
Instead of making materia by his free will, his body makes it by the minute and it builds up. And he has to get rid of it before it destroys his vocal system, or if left untreated, his entire body.

"…yes sir…" the scientist sulked, muttering under his breath afterwards as he approached a nearby medical rack and collected a few bits and pieces for Reno's treatment.

"Reno, you alright?" Rufus asked, still aiding Reno in staying upright.
The red head finally stopped coughing up materia and glanced at Rufus, his eyes still half open and blood still dripping from his mouth.

"Gah…I can't….feel my legs…" he whimpered, trying his best to move his legs…but all he could do was dig the claw-like toes into the ground and scratch the surface, after all, those legs looked very muscular and probably felt sore from how rapidly they changed.
Downstairs, his left leg was fully changed, and his right wasn't far off…but now, it had fully changed like the left one.
Luckily, Reno's right arm hadn't changed much. The left one now had large spikes shooting from the shoulder and the elbow, if he lunged at you with an elbow strike you'd probably get impaled by those spikes.

"Don't worry, I've got you…" Rufus whispered, still patting Reno on the back.

"Sorry for…attacking…Tseng…" Reno panted, a little more blood seeping from the corners of his mouth.
Rufus took out a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped the red-heads mouth, chuckling slightly as he muffled like a child as he cleaned his face up with the cloth.

"Don't apologize, if you didn't attack I would have. You saved me the effort." Rufus chuckled, scrunching up the cloth before tossing it into a nearby bin.
Reno smiled lightly back at Rufus and fully opened his eyes, but they fell back to being half open again once it became apparent that he was fighting the urge to sleep.

"He-he…you lazy bum…ugh…" Reno chuckled, yawning heavily before stumbling forwards.
Luckily Rufus was supporting his torso as well; otherwise the red-head would have fallen flat on his face, and that would have hurt.

"Whoa there, buddy! Don't push yourself…" Rufus whined, trying with all his might to raise the dragon-like Reno back up to his feet.
The scientist had finally gathered everything he needed and had made a syringe of the 'antidote' to Reno's problem, squirting a tiny drop to make sure it wasn't clogging the needle.

"Okay Rufus, if you could sit him on this table…" the scientist requested, patting the operating table Reno was resting against.

"…ugh…not more experiments…" Reno whimpered as Rufus hauled the heavy male onto the table, the red-head resting his back against nothing in particular…since the spikes on his shoulders meant that lying on his back would prove painful. Even resting his back against things would hurt.
Thankfully though, the red-head was fully awake now that he'd seen the needle…and to stop an oncoming panic attack, Rufus chose to stand right in front of Reno and direct his blood-red eyes towards him.
Reno raised his dragon-like left arm up and tugged at the horn sprouting from the side of his head, growling in irritation at it before scratching his back, a small pair of wings fluttering in joy as he soothed the itch on his back.

"No, it's nothing like that Reno…we're trying to find a way to restore you back to your old self." Rufus reassured, keeping his gaze on Reno…who had turned his blood-red eyes back to meet the ice-blue eyes of the president.

"…right…" Reno growled, narrowing his eyes at the president…almost glaring at him as if he wanted to savage the blonde right there.

"Don't look at me like that!" Rufus growled in anger, flashing off one of his famous 'I am not impressed' stares.

"…like what?" Reno whined, scratching his head with his left hand. Before glaring at Rufus again the instant he stopped scratching.

"Like you are right now, it's not funny…" Rufus pouted, narrowing his eyes at Reno.
The red-head maintained his glare and didn't say anything…or even make a single noise other than deep growling. The tiny wings on Reno's back flapped once every few seconds, slowly as if showing signs of attacking. (Dragons flapping their wings slowly was usually a sign that they where preparing to attack. Go mythology research!)

"Reno, stop glaring at me like that…please…" Rufus pleaded softly, his gaze shifting from that of irritation to that of a fragile and broken child.
The red-head's eyes widened slightly and tilted his eyebrows, as if expressing sympathy towards the blonde. A light whimpering sound seeped from the ex-Turks mouth, a sound that could be considered as a 'chirp'.

"…sorry, man…I don't know what came over me…" Reno whimpered, glancing at Rufus like a helpless dog…that was being yelled at by their master for doing something wrong.

"…you didn't…realize you where staring at me?" Rufus questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Ouch!" Reno winced in pain as he was quickly given the injection, the scientist hurrying to a safe distance as the red-head grasped the area he was pricked and glared at him in a threatening manner.
But he soon retreated from the offensive posture and went back to whining about being in pain from the injection.

"There you go, now give it about 10 minutes and we should see some kind of progress…" the scientist informed as he disposed of the syringe and cleaned his hands.

"How long will it last?" Rufus asked, still glancing at Reno…making sure to keep a watchful eye on him.

"We think it will last about a week. But if we keep giving him it then his body should overpower the serum." The scientist answered.

"Better than not working at all." Rufus muttered.

"Anyway, he looks tired…maybe he should get some rest? You are free to come back anytime sir, to check his progress." The scientist informed.
Reno grasped Rufus' jacket with his dragon-like hand and lowered his head…gazing down at his mutated legs, twitching in fear.

"No…" Reno muttered, still not looking at Rufus.

"Reno?" Rufus questioned, kneeling down to try and look at Reno's lowered face.
The red-head raised his head slightly for Rufus to see him, his eyes where watery as if he was about to cry…and for almost a second, Rufus saw Reno's eyes shift from the blood-red to the vibrant-blue they use to be…before returning to the monstrous reddened eyes.

"Don't leave me…not here…please…" Reno pleaded.
Rufus whispered to Reno and patted the red-heads bushy head, before smiling and standing upright again.

"…is it alright if I stay just a little bit longer?" Rufus requested, turning his gaze to the scientist.

"I don't see why not. I'll be in the office discussing things over with the Professor, he's still a bit iffy over loosing E2---I mean…Reno." The scientist answered, before taking his leave.

"Right." Rufus sighed, before grabbing a nearby chair and pulling it up near where Reno was sat.
The ex-Turk had to stay on a table…after all; his new form meant that he couldn't sit down right on many things.
They sit in silence for a while, with the hustle and bustle going on the in the labs it was hard to think of a topic to talk about without offending one another…or catching unwanted attention.
Rufus was the one, however, to break the awkward silence.

"You feeling any better?" Rufus asked, glancing up at Reno as he remains slouched in the chair.
The dragon-like creature in front of him snorted, and for a second Rufus felt the warm breath of the red-head as he let out a slight belch…a slither of smoke flowing from his mouth.
This was more like it, instead of throwing up half-baked materia and causing himself pain his body was eliminating the crap materia using a self-built system. Where the materia just degenerates and turns into smoke…or usually…fire.
It was more comfortable for Reno this way, and he might actually enjoy the power until it goes away again.
At least, Rufus hoped it would go away.

"A little, yo." Reno chuckled, brushing the air in front of him to clear up the light smoke.

"If you even feel the slightest bit…abnormal…just say so. The last thing we want is for you to go nuts." Rufus said wearily.
There was further silence once more, and the smell of something burning was making the scientists worry about their equipment…but Reno was reveling in how much better he felt, well, about the whole 'getting rid of crap materia' thing.

"…Rufus…" Reno blurted out meekly.

"Hmm?"

"Why was I thrown into this project anyway, man? I always did crazy shit as a Turk…but you never complained…" Reno asked, timidly looking up at Rufus as he took decided to slouch forwards.
It took a while for Rufus to actually give an answer, because for a solid 3 minutes he just sighed and rubbed his head.

"…it was my dads wish for me to commence with a project he started with Hojo, I didn't want to go along with it…but Tseng made me." He finally answered.

"…Tseng…" Reno growled.

"Reno, don't get worked up over it. I'll brief you about the project right now if it will make you feel any better?"

(Rufus explains the project and everything he told to Cloud, see previous chapter about this. I can't be bothered to type it all up again. LOL.)

Reno sulked and examined his demonic left hand and growled.
"…so mom was right…"

"Cloud and the others have gone to see her, just to find a little bit more information about your brother Kisho." Rufus reassured, brushing a hand through his golden hair.

Reno snorted "That's not my brother." as a response and looked away from Rufus angrily, as if insulted by the idea.

"W-what?" Rufus yelped, almost falling from his seat.

"My brother was lively and happy; this guy…" Reno began, narrowing his eyes as he thought before shifting his slightly angry eyes towards Rufus "…this guy is so boring and emotionless, yo. He's nothing like him. He even looks different."

"I think the experiments did that to him…sorry, Reno." Rufus apologized, settling back into his seat.
Reno turned to fully gaze at Rufus and eased the anger that was previously printed on his face…shifting to that of uncertainty and slight worry "…am I going to become like him, too?" he blurted out almost unexpectedly.

"Hell no! Don't think like that! We're clearing you up to make sure that never happens!" Rufus snapped instantly. The last thing they wanted was for Reno to think and believe that he was going mad; if he thought about it and believed it…then it would happen.
Hell, look at what happened to Sephiroth.

"…it's hard not to think about it…when my body is screaming out about it…" Reno whimpered; Rufus simply narrowing his eyes as he stared at nothing in particular, showing that he was feeling lost for words.
They sat in silence, not daring to look at each other.
Reno didn't want to look at Rufus in fear of something bad happening…and Rufus didn't want to look at Reno and make him feel like he was staring at him like some monster. Both wished to avoid offending the other by means of glancing, offending with words was avoidable…and so can visual contact.
Rufus couldn't help himself though; he was worried that the antidote wasn't getting rid of any physical effects. It had been half an hour since Reno had his medication and nothing physical had changed.
Reno shifted his gaze to Rufus and noticed he was being stared at, but to avoid an argument he remained quiet and chose to act as if he didn't notice.

"…"

"…"

The silence was awkward for the pair of them; one of the duo had obviously a right to feel awkward…here he was, a monster…his brother insane and on the loose…his family torn apart by religion…sat in a room filled with scientists and his best friend within a dangerous range if he went mad.
What did Rufus have to be awkward about? It was Reno's silence.
If the ex-Turk was quiet it wasn't a good sign…even in his sleep he talked, because he's just that type of talkative guy.
The last time he was this quiet was in a meeting with the other Turks. He was just sat there, and then he suddenly passed out on the floor. Rude said it was alcohol poisoning, Tseng? He just said he was a wuss and feinted because of the 'mission' he was given.
Rufus chose to believe Tseng on the day…but looking back on it now, he thinks Rude's was most likely to be accurate.

"Reno…how long have we known each other?" Rufus asked, just to break the silence.
Reno turned to glance at Rufus making a slight 'hmm?' sound, letting out a light burp afterwards as he lifted his head to see Rufus better.

"17 years…Why?" the red-head answered in a fairly content tone of voice.

"Nothing…it just…feels like I've known you ever since I was a boy myself." Rufus chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of his head and glancing at Reno as if seeking him to try and make a conversation of this.
The red head rolled his eyes and blurted out "…did you ever visit Kalm, yo?" in an irritated tone.

"Heh. Once. Back when my old man sent me out to train in other towns." Rufus answered, sounding a little irritated himself. (He was probably irritated by Reno's attitude.)

"No shit? How long ago was that?" Reno laughed, eager to find out.

"Pfft. I can't remember…" Rufus grunted, almost as if pouting about the conversation.
Reno pouted back and snorted, turning his attention elsewhere.

"…" Rufus remained silent and started fiddling with his jacket buttons, looking slightly upset now that he'd realized he pissed Reno off just now. But he couldn't think of anything to say. Nothing.
Reno shifted his angry glare to Rufus, still pretending to look away, but his eyes showed he wasn't angry anymore…but they flashed a little emotion to signify he was more worried about if he hurt Rufus feelings.

"Ya know…The first time I saw you man, was outside Kalm. You where wearing that bright white suit and tie, riding in a ShinRa truck loaded with all kinds of thugs…I couldn't help my curiosity, I followed the truck to the Mythril Mines and got attacked by shit loads of monsters...but it was worth it, just to see you blast them to pieces." Reno explained. Rufus perking up slightly as Reno began speaking, but chose to remain silent throughout…and for a short while afterwards, just to take all the information in.

"…you followed me in a ShinRa truck?" Rufus asked, slightly cautious if Reno was joking or not.

"Yeah…" Reno chuckled.

"That must have been when my dad sent me to clean the mines out…I think that was...20 years ago…?" Rufus pondered, scratching his head lightly as he thought.
Reno laughed as soon as Rufus realized he had actually met him 20 years ago, well…in a way he met him.

"Yep. You where armed from head to toe, yo. I felt bad that I couldn't' help ya, but I was injured from just following you there." Reno laughed.
Rufus remained quiet for a few seconds, as if trying to register something he'd recently thought about…before finally asking "…why'd you do that?" and catching Reno's attention again.

"Hmmm?"

"You know…follow me? Why did you follow me?" Rufus asked.
Reno simply shrugged as a response.

"I don't know…something inside me just clicked and told me to follow you, yo. Guess it's the same thing that makes me follow you now." Reno chuckled.

"…you're full of mysteries, Reno." Rufus shook his head and rubbed it tiredly. The red-head really knew how to talk and drag-out a conversation…it was making the president think too much, and every time he did that he got a headache.

"You are too, ya know. Acting all cold and shallow and then acting all, like, whiney and sad. Ya confused us sometimes." Reno teased, sticking out his reptile-like tongue as he spoke.

"I never acting like that, well…not the whining and being sad part, at least." Rufus protested, making a light whining sound in a laughing manner as if pretending to be offended.

"Oh yeah? How come I saw you all whiney when you found out I was the only one who remembered your birthday?" Reno teased further.

"I wasn't whining! I was….just a little worked up from….work…" Rufus protested further.
Reno just stared at him and shook his head, chuckling and making 'tusk' sounds.

"You didn't have work that day, yo." Reno teased.
Rufus gawked and started attempting to make an excuse, but nothing was coming out right…his face was flushed pink in colour from embarrassment…because Reno was right.

"I…ugh….fine….I was crying." Rufus finally answered.

"Crying a fucking waterfall when I saw you." Reno sighed.

"I sent out invites for you guys to take the day off, as long as you came over and everything, but you where the only one who did." Rufus muttered, glancing at his feet…sulking.

"Tseng was working, Elena was complaining, Rude doesn't like parties or outings with superiors. He gets too nervous. Those are the only reasons why the others didn't come." Reno answered, brushing his right clawed and through his red-hair.
There was an awkward silence again, and Reno was starting to shift his gaze from Rufus to other parts of the room…as if examining his surroundings like a confused puppy, wondering why they where there.
Rufus took notice of this and decided to try and keep Reno occupied, just a bit longer anyway…he needs reassuring that no one is going to hurt him.

"…I thought they all hated me." Rufus blurted out, catching Reno's attention in an instant once again.
The red head began swinging his legs back and forth and tilted his head to one side, a small smile on his face.

"Oh, Tseng hates your guts. He said you where too young to be president back when the whole 'Sephiroth' thing happened." Reno answered.
Rufus blinked after hearing about the 'Sephiroth thing' and looked up at Reno, his eyes slightly reddened as if he was holding back the urge to cry.
Well, he did bring up a lot of emotional topics…so it was his own fault.

"…that reminds me, I never thanked you for getting me out of the building." Rufus suddenly brought up yet another emotional topic…it was as if he was trying to make himself whine, or maybe he wanted to see what Reno would be like? After all, Kisho lost all his emotions through the experiments…maybe he was testing to see if Reno lost any of his too?
The red head simply tilted his head in the opposite direction as before and made a confused whimpering sound, obviously he didn't know what Rufus was talking about.
The president laughed and shook his head.

"When you ran up all those floors and hauled me out of the ShinRa HQ, just after Weapon attacked…nobody else came up. You did. Remember?" Rufus explained.
Reno then made the gesture that he remembered, before clicking his more human fingers and pointing at Rufus…as if to say he remembered something else.

"Elena was too scared and Tseng and Rude where too busy trying to keep everyone calm." Reno blurted out.

"What where you doing then, before coming to get me?" Rufus questioned, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Reno shrugged.

"Nothing...as soon was the attack blasted the place to shit, I just ran to get whoever was up there out. The rescue team told me to stay put, saying it was too dangerous for a young guy like me…but I just ran anyway, I knew someone was up in that building who needed help." He answered.

"…you didn't expect it to be me?" Rufus asked, puzzled by what Reno was trying to say.

"Something inside of me said it was someone close, a friend…then I remembered Rude was on the ground safe with Elena and Tseng…so after I remembered who else was a good pal of mine I ran faster, you where the president after all." Reno answered, ruffling up the blonde head of the younger man in front of him.
After slapping the red-heads hand away from him and laughing, Rufus brushed his hair back into a tidy position.

"Bet you wish you didn't save me…after all this I've put you through." Rufus sighed.
Reno stuck his tongue out again and laughed, pulling a 'neko-like' face (Japanese cat face) at the president.
He certainly hadn't lost his sense of humor.

"Nawww, man. I'm still glad I did. You and Rude are the only real friends I have…Elena was a friend, until her and that bastard Tseng stabbed me in the back." Reno chuckled, until mentioning Elena and Tseng…where his tone dropped, into one of slight anger.

"Elena didn't want to go through with it either. It was all Tseng." Rufus informed.

"…guess I need to apologize to her now." Reno sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck and yanking at the horn on the left side of his head.

"Don't bother, she's just glad you're alive." Rufus said, shaking his head.
The two sat in silence for a while and stared at one another…not once taking their gaze off the one sat opposite them.

"…"

"…"

The silence was starting to get unsettling, someone had to speak soon or they would both just say something stupid.
Reno was the first to crack a word.
"…Rufus?"

"Yeah?"

"When you fix me, does that mean I'm still fired and have to leave?"

"Only person who'll get fired is that scientist and maybe Tseng…if he tries shooting you again I'll fire a bullet into his ass."

"He-he"
The pair laughed for a while, with Reno occasionally letting out a strange roar-like laugh. But Rufus didn't seem to notice.

"Hey Reno, once this is all over, what do you say we go to Costa Del Sol for a bit? Hmm? Just like old times." Rufus suggested, breaking the laughter and rubbing his chin as if thinking.

"Ya know…that would be nice, but I just have a bad feeling in my gut right now." Reno smiled, before placing a hand over his gut.

"You're looking better, but are you feeling sick?" Rufus informed, before getting out of his seat and kneeling beside Reno.

"No…it's just…this feeling I have that something bad is going to happen to one of us. I just hope my heads playing games with me and not trying to tell me something, yo." Reno sulked, looking a little worried as he keeps his gaze low and away from Rufus.

"It's probably just you feeling tired…Vincent is with Kisho anyway so he won't let him try anything, you're safe here." Rufus explained, before standing up again and making his way back to his seat.

"My head says otherwise, yo." Reno blurted out, just before Rufus could sit down.
The blonde remained stood up and turned to face Reno, sighing heavily before shaking his head at him.

"Ignore it." Rufus instructed.
Reno glanced up to look at Rufus and smirked, looking almost sinister for a second…before flashing off a more humorous smile…as if to tease the president.

"Heh…how'd I do that, yo? Not as easy as ignoring someone else…" Reno laughed.
Rufus was looking very serious now, he'd gone back to Reno and had knelt beside him again…but instead of looking calm and relaxed about a serious situation like before, he was cold and ruthless in how he looked and talked to the red head.

"Yes it is! You just listen to everything else that's happening but inside your head! Like hell I don't know…me!?" Rufus growled, narrowing his eyes at Reno…pouting like a spoilt brat.
The red head sighed and flashed Rufus a depressed look, before shaking his head.

"I've been listening to ya, man. But the voice in my head keeps telling me it's all a lie."

"Don't listen to it! It's your damn brother trying to turn you against us!" Rufus snapped, jolting back to his feet.

"You're my only bro now, Rufus. So like shit I would go against you." Reno reassured, still looking slightly depressed.
Rufus narrowed his eyes at Reno.

"You're talking in slang again, Reno." The president informed.
He hated hearing Reno talk in slang or confusing, poorly structured, sentences…it made talking to him difficult, especially since most of the time he couldn't make out what the red head was trying to say.
And Reno obviously knew that.

"I would never turn against you, Rufus." Reno answered in a very calm tone, almost letting go of his 'hipster' accent and exposing his more 'serious' voice.
Rufus sighed.

"That's better."

"Oh. And Kisho doesn't have the power to make me go nuts…" Reno informed like a young child.

"It looked like he had some type of control over you a while ago." Rufus informed as he dragged his seat closer to Reno, allowing him to stay close without having to get up all the time.

"No, man…that was…that thing inside me…he's the one who made me attack…" Reno said reluctantly, pointing at his own torso as he looked at Rufus like an injured puppy.

"…that 'thing' controls you?" Rufus asked in a puzzled tone, listening with great interest.

"Sort of…I mean…I felt really scared the first time, and he woke up inside of me…I went crazy and attacked anything that got in my way, 'cause I just wanted to go somewhere and hide. But the second time…" Reno began, sounding a little nervous.

"You got angry." Rufus interrupted, getting into a thinking position.

"Heh. No shit…wouldn't you if some bastard shot you in the head and tried to kill ya?" Reno laughed in an irritated manner.

"You'd have jumped in front of me to take the bullet, remember?" Rufus answered coldly as he continued to think.

"Yo, I'm not a fool…" Reno growled.

"…you mean you wouldn't do your job?" Rufus asked in a slightly curious tone, still thinking and looking at the floor.

"…it depends…" Reno yawned, before closing his eyes and lowering his head forwards.

"Hmmm?" Rufus glanced upwards to look at Reno, who was slumped forwards as if he'd fallen asleep.
The ex-Turk remained mute and motionless, not a single sound came from him…not even snoring.
And everyone knew Reno was a loud snorer when he slept…if he wasn't talking in his sleep, that is.

"…"

"Reno? Depends on what?" Rufus asked, glancing at the red head in curiosity.
But he didn't answer…he remained silent.

"…"

"…you alright?" Rufus asked, adjusting his position in the chair and lowering his head to see Reno's.

His eyes where shut and he looked emotionless…he wasn't even making any noise, no sign of if he was breathing or not.

"…"

"Reno?" Rufus asked again, sounding more concerned as he lightly grabbed the red-heads chin and raised his head to look at his own.
His eyes opened slightly, one wider than the other. But he didn't answer.

"…"

"Reno, snap out of it! You're creeping me out!" Rufus whined, still keeping a hold of Reno's chin.
One of the random scientists hurried over to investigate.

"What's the problem, sir?" the scientist asked.

"Reno just…froze…he...he won't answer me." Rufus explained in a highly worried tone.
The scientist approached Reno and took Reno's chin himself, before checking his eyes with a little torch.

"That's odd…he usually talks to anyone when given the chance…" the scientist said in a curious tone, as he completed the checks.

"I know, that's why I'm so worried." Rufus sighed, rubbing his head.
The red head remained silent and motionless as the scientist handled his head and continued to check him, his eyes still half open.

"…"

"Reno, can you hear me?" the scientist asked, pulling himself away from Reno and getting into a thinking pose.
The red head raised his monstrous head and fully opened his eyes, his tongue hanging from his mouth slightly.

"…yeah." He answered tiredly.

"Oh thank god! I thought you'd slipped from us." The scientist sighed with relief, placing his hand on his torso as if calming himself down.

"…sorry." Reno apologized, lowering his head again before raising it once more…as if bowing in apology.

"Don't apologize, just make sure not to scare Rufus like that again!" the scientist laughed before taking his leave.
Once he had gone, Rufus glanced at Reno again and placed his hand on Reno's dragon-like arm.

"So Reno, you sure you're alright?" Rufus asked in a concerned tone, shuddering slightly over how cold and scaly Reno's arm was.

"…yeah, I…I'm fine…" Reno answered, sounding slightly shaken up by something.
Rufus narrowed his eyes.

"You don't sound alright to me." He informed "…then why'd you ask, yo!?" Reno growled instantly, as if offended by Rufus.

"Just to make sure, is that a crime?" the president growled, throwing another one of his famous glares at Reno.
The red head was easily stared down into submission…causing him to drop that foul attitude he just had.

"…no." Reno whimpered.

"So, why did you suddenly go mute on me?" Rufus asked, folding his arms whilst still delivering Reno the same glare.

"I…don't know, man…"Reno answered.
Rufus sighed and relaxed his posture and tone.

"Just don't do it again, alright? I don't want you to die on me…not now…"

"…I'm not gonna die, Rufus…I'll kill anyone who tries to kill either of us…"

"I noticed, a regular person would die on the spot from a shot like that. I'm just concerned for your life body-wise. We have no idea how this drug will work or affect you." Rufus smirked; rubbing the back of Reno's head to neaten up the shaggy mess he called hair.

"It just…hurts…" Reno sulked, placing his more human hand onto his torso.

"Hmm? The place he shot you?" Rufus questioned as he still tried to tidy up Reno's messed up hair.

"No…" the red head sighed.

"What? What hurts, then?" Rufus asked as he finished tidying up Reno's hair as best he could from where he was previously, choosing to get up and do the back of Reno's hair next. After all, his hair had burst from the previous ponytail and was everywhere. It made Reno look like some wild monster.

"…I…I don't know exactly…just…my chest, it feels so sore…" Reno answered in a slightly uncomfortable tone.
Rufus had obtained a hair band and a brush from another scientist and continued to try and return Reno's ponytail to normal, having to talk with the annoyance of untangling the red-heads elongated hair.

"It's probably the materia your brother impaled you with, don't worry…we'll get it out." Rufus informed as he finally began tying the hair up.

"You can't take it out." Reno said instantly, as if ordering Rufus that he couldn't take it out…rather than say it's impossible.

"What? You don't want us to take it out?" Rufus asked in a confused tone as he finished doing Reno's hair.

"No…you CAN'T take it out. If you do, we'll all die." Reno informed, swishing his ponytail over his shoulder…only for it to get caught in the spikes on his left shoulder and tangle again…leaving Rufus with another job.

"…are you trying to scare me, Reno?" Rufus growled as he tried to untangle the mass of hair again.

"Why would I lie to you right now?" Reno blurted out almost randomly.

"I never said you where lying." Rufus laughed, finally getting the hair untangled from the spikes.

"No…but you where THINKING about saying it." Reno growled.
Rufus instantly jolted from Reno and nearly fell over backwards, with how Reno growled at him…and claimed he read Rufus' mind.
And by Rufus' reaction, he was thinking just what Reno said.

"W-what!? You…you actually read my thoughts!?" Rufus gasped in surprise.
Reno suddenly realized he was growling and looked away worriedly.

"…sorry." He apologized.

Rufus regained his balance and rubbed his forehead in confusion "B-but…the report never mentioned---!" he began "----It wouldn't say anything about it. We keep the power under wraps." Reno interrupted, still looking away from Rufus.
The president regained his cool and narrowed his eyes at Reno.

"Reno, if you're not pulling my leg, then don't read my thoughts ever again." Rufus instructed, almost afraid of even thinking well…anything…now that he learnt of Reno's new power.

"…alright then…" Reno sighed as if disappointed by the order.

"And you never seemed to do it before, well…you never looked like you did." Rufus smirked before taking his seat again.
Reno chuckled.

"Heh. I couldn't do it until I turned 27. It's a maturity thing…or at least that's what mom said to me." Reno sighed, looking down at his feet as he kicked them back and forth gently.

"…you miss your mother?" Rufus asked softly.
Reno sighed as a response and nodded slightly.

"Sometimes."

"What about your father? I heard he was a good warrior…he must have trained you hard." Rufus asked.
Reno narrowed his eyes and growled, digging his dragon-like hand into the table.

"My dad was a stuck-up bastard. I hope he's dead." Reno growled, obviously remembering all the bad things his father did to him.

"…I wasn't expecting to hear that…" Rufus blurted out in a slightly worried tone, Reno just shook off the angry behavior and chuckled.

"Heh. Not a lot of people do, yo." He chuckled lightly, flashing a small smile at Rufus to reassure he wasn't mad at him.
But the silence returned…the horrible silence…

"…"

"…"

"So…you won't let us take the materia out of you? I thought you said it was causing a lot of pain?" Rufus questioned, breaking the silence once again.

The last thing he wanted was for Reno to go mute again…when that happens; it makes everyone think he's died or sick.

"It is, man…but you gotta understand, if you take it out we'll all die." Reno informed, before yawning and lowering his head again.

"...can you tell me WHY exactly?" Rufus requested, sounding a little irritated as he delivered another famous 'im not impressed' glare.
But Reno fell silent again.

"…"

"Reno?" Rufus asked, getting up from his seat and grasping the red-heads chin…which raises his gaze up so he could see him again.
But Reno's eyes where shut again…and Rufus felt the red-heads hot breath hit him in the face.
Then something else hit him…the markings on his face…where starting to spread…and another horn was growing from the right side of his head.
The serum must be strong, if it's still working under the reverse drug.

"…"

"Reno!?" Rufus yelled, shaking the red-head franticly to wake him up.
But all he got was half-opened red eyes, drool and a limp and almost lifeless Reno…what was this behavior all about!?

"…ughh…" the red-head whined before slipping forwards and off the table, slamming flat on his face and almost taking Rufus down with him.
The scientists hurried from their positions to investigate, but Rufus was already down by his side…screaming out for him to snap out of it and wake up.

"RENO!"

END OF CHAPTER 6.

AN: THIS WAS A VERY long one, the reasons why are obvious…and I won't do one this long EVER again for this story. It takes too long to do. (as you know with all the waiting!)
I wanted to have just Rufus and Reno in this one (with the others popping in at the start) because…I just like them both. And Rufus had to take Reno's mind off all the negative things he was seeing in his head…and yes, Reno isn't lying. If the materia is taken from his body, everyone will die…oh! I'm no good at this! Review, please! And visit my Deviantart gallery for concept art:D
(It was gonna have light shonen-ai in it, but I decided no for your sanity. Ha-ha! I might edit it if you demand me to do so.)

Since the last teaser was long, this is super short! Adds to the suspension! And that mean the next chapter is gonna be shorter. And I have NO IDEA when that will be up! SORRY!

Teaser for next chapter

"Brother, just look at you….don't you think you should be with us? You look so different to the human scum, come back with me."

"I may look different, yo. But I'm still Reno Of The Turks! And nothing, not even 'Sei-whatever-his-name-is butt-head' is going to change that! I don't even know what the fuck has gotten into you, yo! I never promised destroying the world with my brother!"

"…then maybe if I took what was dear to you, you would see things much more clearly…RAAAAAGGGGGGHHHH!!!!"

"RUFUS, RUN!!!"