Words: 1753

See Chapter 1 for standard Warnings/Disclaimer.

Additional Warning: This fic is Unbeta'd I edit it myself, though I do have a couple friends who have read it as I worked on it.

A/N: I love my rendition of Reno even if he isn't completely IC according to Canon. I haven't really played much in the way of FF7, so I don't have a great basis for those characters. -le sigh.- Oh, and, Invisible intarweb cookies for those of you who know where I got Axel and Reno's last name. Not that it's very difficult, I figure many, if not all, of you probably know.


The noise of the FBI office around him had gone from a near constant buzz of chatter to a dim drone as the hours wore on. Squall was rather glad for that: He really didn't find his coworkers as amusing as they found themselves. Agent's Dincht and Tilmitt, for example, had left several hours ago among a cloud of squeals and shout and had dragged Agent Kinneas along with them. Apparently they wanted the poor man to give them more tips in the shooting range.

A thick folder of papers slammed down on his desk, and Squall didn't jump. He made a mental note to make sure anyone who said he did suddenly found themselves on the bad end of Trepe's favor. He slowly looked up, face schooled to its usual blankness to find his partner grinning down at him.

"Hiya Squall!"

"Kisaragi." He retorted flatly.

Squall had never wanted a partner. However, the higher ups had quickly found out that Squall had no people skills to speak of and had decided he needed a partner who did and so they'd tried Dincht, and Tilmitt. Kisaragi was apparently a last ditch effort. So far they got along well enough, and his cold attitude only seemed to amuse the woman. They didn't want to loose Squall as he was a good agent and had extremely good instincts, at the same time they were prepared to cut him down to a desk job if it came to it. Squall wasn't really sure he'd like that.

"So, Squally, what's your thoughts on the Strife case?" Kisaragi asked, perching cheerily on the corner of his desk.

"There are thousands of other kidnappings, but because this kid has such high profile parents he's been made high priority." He muttered, glaring steadily at a picture of the victim. The nineteen year olds picture scowled right back at him. "Then there's the matter of what his parents said these guys want for ransom. It doesn't make any sense."

"Still haven't been able to find out exactly what they want?"

"Well, the parents obviously know what it is. I can't decide if they think it's unimportant to tell us the exact nature of this research these guys want, or if they're being deceptive on purpose."

"Well!" She cheered suddenly throwing her arms straight up in the air, the file she still clutched held over her head like some prize trophy. "I've got something that will cheer you right up." Kisaragi shoved the file in his face. "Ta da! It's the phone records you wanted!"

Squall took the file from her and flipped it open, pulling the loose sheets out to spread them over his desk. Kisaragi huffed at him, and he could almost imagine her expression of over dramatic eye rolling exasperation.

"Thank you, Yuffie." She grumped, badly attempting to recreate his tone of voice. "Oh, you're welcome Squall! Anytime, partner!"

Squall just ignored her and honed in on the calls in and out printed on the sheets before him. Kisaragi sighed and hopped off his desk.

"I'll go get you some coffee, then."

Several hours had passed, enough for most of their coworkers to go home leaving their work area a small pool of illumination in an otherwise dark building. Kisaragi, apparently bored out of her mind, had taken to trying to balance a sharpie on her nose.

Squall made an interested sound, and it made Kisaragi jump up so fast it sent her sharpie flying to who knows where. She was immediately at his side, "Find something?!"

Silently Squall reached over and grabbed a highlighter from the cup on his desk and highlighted a few lines on two of the papers. Capping the highlighter again he used it to indicate one row, "This is the call to the Strife residence that Tifa Strife told us about. It correlates with her time frame, and it's the only time this numbers called them in the history we have." He moved the highlighter down to indicate another row. "That number called again yesterday."

"And they didn't tell us?" Kisaragi yelped. "Oh! Grrr, what is wrong with these people! Don't they want their kid back?!"

"What's even more odd," Squall continued, ignoring her with practiced ease, "is that this call occurred while we were there."

"WHAT?!"

Squall winced at her shriek and indicated the time frame of the call, "See here?"

Kisaragi leaned in and nodded, "Okay... but I don't remember there ever being a phone call."

"Hmm."

Kisaragi gave him a look, "You know something." she hypothesized. "All right, spill. What else did you find?"

He fought back a hint of a smile and indicated another of the papers, pointing out a particular row, "Less than half an hour later that same number called this cellphone."

"Yeah, I see. Wait... Is that the phone belonging to that one guy? The one that the Fair kid gave us?"

"Yes." Squall dug through the files on his desk and pulled one out. Flipping it open he read from it, "Axel Flynn, age twenty-four, younger brother to Reno Flynn whose one of Rufus Shinra's personal bodyguards. He's got a bit of a small time record: A few fights, and someone fingered him for theft, but it was never proven. Parents have been missing since he was six, his brother raised and supported him."

Kisaragi whistled quietly, "Geeze. Let me guess, you're getting one of your little 'feelings' about him?"

Squall nodded faintly and closed the file, dropping it onto the desk without another glance, "I've got a feeling about this entire case. Something isn't right, and I'm not sure what. This guys the best lead we have." He grabbed his suit jacket off the back of his chair where he'd left it earlier that day and shrugged it on, quietly amused at the way Kisaragi perked up.

"Oooh, is it time to go home now?"

"You can. I'm going to go speak to the brother."

"But Squa-all, it's like.. Seven at night!"

"Whatever."

--

He was amused that she'd actually come with him, though she stood fidgeting beside him with a pouty expression as he knocked on the door. A moment later it was jerked open and Squall found himself face to face with a scowling man with long, wild red hair, "The hell do you want?"

Squall cleared his throat and flashed his badge, "We'd like to have a word with you is all, Mr. Flynn."

With a grunt the man backed away from the door and motioned them in, "Yeah, fine, but don't call me Mr. Flynn, makes it sound like I'm in deep shit. Reno's the name, okay?"

"Sure thing, Reno!" Kisaragi chirped bouncing after the man. "I'm Agent Yuffie Kisaragi. Tall, dark, and no talky over there is Agent Squall Leonhart."

"Oh yeah?" Flynn said. "How 'bout I call you Sweet cheeks, and he can be Princess? That work for you?"

As Kisaragi snickered, obviously amused by the man, Squall scowled darkly. Reno Flynn reminded him of another man he knew.

"We were hoping to ask you a few questions about your brother." Squall cut in coolly.

Flynn who was casually sprawled on the sofa, looking relaxed if not mischievous turned to regard him with a rather intense stare. Had Squall been a lesser man he might have flinched back from that suddenly piercing look, "Why're the feds sniffing about my little bro?"

"No one's sniffing around anyone." Kisaragi said patiently, waving her hands as though to diffuse the sudden tension. "We're the agents investigating Roxas Strife's disappearance, is all."

Flynn was obviously sharper than Squall had given him credit for, because a look passed over his face; A dark look that made Squall's skin crawl slightly. Flynn leaned forward, hands dangling between his knees and pressed his fingertips together. His whole stance screamed of aggression.

"Look, I c'n tell what you're thinkin' all right? I'm tellin' you here and now that Axel wouldn't harm a hair on Roxas' head, so just get that shit out of your heads and work on finding the real bad guys, yeah?"

Squall didn't bother insulting the mans intelligence by playing stupid, "As much as I'd like to take you're word on that, I can't."

Flynn waved one hand dismissively and relaxed back, grinning easily again. It was almost as if that moment of tension hadn't even occurred, "Yeah, yeah, I know how it goes. So ask you're damn questions, and get the fuck out already."

"Right, about your brother..."

"Technically," Flynn interrupted. "We're half-brothers. Same mom, y'know, different dads."

Squall grunted, but chose not to respond to that, "You said that he wouldn't harm Roxas?"

"Roxas and Axel have been the best of friends since they were kids, okay? Those two... they're real close, tight, man. They've almost been joined at the hip since they met. Axel was real upset when he found out about this whole kidnapping business."

"Tifa Strife told us that the kidnappers wanted some sort of research in ransom for Roxas."

Flynn did a bit of a double take, "Shit. Really? Man, that's not cool. Why the hell do they want shit like that? Better yet, do the exec's over at Shinra know? Fuck. It's no wonder Axel would be so bent out of shape if he knows..."

Kisaragi was looking curious at that, "What do you mean?"

"Shinra and Radiant are real tough cookies, they aren't gonna like it if someones tryin' to steal their shit. They won't give it up to some shit head kidnappers, not even the tiniest bit of material. Those guys are ruthless."

"Don't you mean 'we,' Mr. Flynn?" Squalled asked quietly.

"Tch. I don't care much either way, Roxas is a good kid and I'd like to see him out of this fine. I just know messy shit when I see it, but fuck knows Axel'd understand how bad the news is. He looked like walking shit with a side of death when I last saw him."

"And when was that?"

"Earlier today when he left to do somethin'. Don't really know what, probably went to visit the Strife's. When I got off work he was passed out in bed. I left for awhile, came back, and he was already gone again."

"I think that's all for now." Squall said. "If we have anymore questions we'll stop by then."

"Yeah, sure. Darken my doorstep with your soul brightening attitude anytime, princess."

Kisaragi was laughing at him all the way out the door.