Vincent glided down the hall as silently as a phantom, watching Tseng warily while he followed the Turk into Cid's living room and closed the door behind them. Tseng lowered himself into one of the armchairs near the window, sitting stiffly until it was clear that Vincent was going to remain standing, at which point he allowed himself to relax slightly.
"So what's this about?" the gunman asked softly after Tseng did not immediately begin to explain.
"Would you like the long explanation or the short one?" the Wutaian asked casually. Vincent shrugged.
"It's not like I have many places I need to be right now. Either is fine." Tseng nodded, folding his hands in his lap before beginning to speak.
"Right. Well, I came to talk to you because Rufus ShinRa personally requested I do so. The W.R.O. and its partners have become quite a force to be reckoned with. Reeve Tuesti is now the head of the largest organization on the continent, and he could take control of the entire city at any time, if he wished."
"I don't think that would ever cross Reeve's mind," Vincent said, smiling to himself at the idea of the mild-mannered engineer trying to control the world like ShinRa Sr. – or even Rufus – once had. Ruling with an iron fist was definitely not one of Reeve's strong suits.
"I know that, and so does Reeve. But, as is the case when any company becomes so large, the public is beginning to fear that the W.R.O. will stray from its roots and go the way of Shin-Ra, controlling people through fear and violence. We need people like you, people who are accustomed to blending into the shadows and remaining inconspicuous, to help us seek out the enemies of the W.R.O. and stop them from slowing down this planet's recovery. We need an ex-Turk. Namely, we need you – the only man to ever be called an 'ex-Turk.'" Vincent's eyes flashed dangerously before narrowing to angry slits.
"Was that the only reason you rescued us?" he growled. "So you could hold it over my head if I chose not to join you?" Tseng looked genuinely surprised by this question, and it took him a moment to think of an appropriate response.
"No, not at all," he said evenly, regaining his mask of calm remarkably quickly. "We aren't the same Turks you used to work for, Vincent. If you don't want to join us, we won't force you. Rufus is well aware that it's never wise to hurt and blackmail the people who are supposed to protect you. His father found that out the hard way; all of his Turks conveniently disappeared when Sephiroth came to do away with him. No, we only want your help if it is something you want to do." Vincent's expression softened immediately, and he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "You would be brought back at a higher rank, of course, possibly higher than mine. You've gained too much experience in the last thirty years for us to call you a 'rookie.'"
"Why are you seeking me out now, though?" he finally asked, his blood-colored eyes searching Tseng's black ones for any sign of malicious intent. "Wouldn't it just be easier to promote one of your younger Turks instead of chasing after someone who hasn't been a part of Shin-Ra in thirty-five years?"
"No, actually, it wouldn't. You've seen things that no training program can ever simulate, and you have more experience than any of the current Turks do now – that includes me. Yuffie also told us about her father's clumsy attempt to drug you. The way you handled it tells me you still remember most – if not all – of your training, even after all these years. And killing Koichi Taishi was no easy feat; he was a very skilled martial artist and military leader, and ruthless as they come. None of us could have escaped with such minor injuries."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Tseng," Vincent said with the slightest of smirks. Tseng chuckled, repositioning his hands in his lap as he shifted again. "But before I give you my answer, I have a question of my own."
"Yes?"
"If I were to rejoin the Turks, who would I be working for?"
"You'll be working for me," Reeve said, opening the door and striding in beside Yuffie with Vincent's newly-repaired gauntlet cradled securely in his arms. "Or at least most of the time you will be. These days all of the Turks take turns working for either me or Rufus."
"Yes," Tseng said, nodding in agreement. "Although since you've worked personally with the Commissioner before, Vincent, you'll probably be spending at least the first few months working mostly for him." Vincent only half-listened as Reeve motioned for him to sit down and began carefully reattaching his prosthetic arm, making sure every last piece was perfectly aligned before giving Vincent a pat on the back and beaming at him.
"There, good as new!" Reeve said happily, watching as Vincent flexed the claws and turned his arm over from one side to the other, looking for any sign of the years' worth of small scratches and dents that Reeve had somehow managed to remove. It was exactly the same weight as before, completely unchanged in feel but looking better than it had three decades ago.
"Wooow, Vinnie!" Yuffie said excitedly, running her fingers down the length of the gauntlet. "It's even prettier than before!" Had he been anyone else, Vincent would have snorted; only Yuffie would call something like that pretty.
"Thank you, Reeve," Vincent said quietly, still admiring the engineer's handiwork.
"Any time. Oh, and here," he said, pressing five slender brass objects into Vincent's palm. "They're for blunting your claws any time you feel you need to," he replied to Vincent's questioning look. "Just slip them over the tips when you want to hide the sharp parts and slip them off when you don't." Vincent accepted them gratefully, slipping them over the tips of his claws immediately.
"So whatcha gonna do, Vince?" Yuffie asked, plopping down beside him on the couch and snuggling herself under his left arm. "I think the Turks really want you back. I hear Rufus pays really well."
"Yes, he does," Tseng said with a small smile. "He's a very generous man, believe it or not. He's changed more than you can imagine since he became the head of Shin-Ra. We're all a bit like a strange adopted family, even though he's also the one that signs our checks."
"That's definitely different than when I was a Turk," Vincent said, looking upward as he thought about this from every angle. Finally, he turned to Yuffie, taking a deep breath before asking his next question. "Yuffie, how would you feel if I agreed to do this?" Yuffie's eyes widened. She could see something in Vincent's gaze that told her he was actually very interested in this offer. She hadn't known that he had missed the Turks so much; he had never mentioned it to anyone. Her eyes brightened as a toothy grin worked its way across her lips.
"I say go for it, Vinnie!" she said cheerily, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "If you wanna be a Turk again, I sure won't stop you."
"And you're not just saying that for my sake?"
"Nope. You know I'd tell you if it bothered me, Vinnie." They both suddenly heard the sound of a baby crying, and Yuffie bolted up from the couch to go back to the kitchen. "You just settle up with Tseng, okay?" she said as she walked toward the door. "I'm gonna go help Shera with Rozalynne. Oooh, that little girl is so cuuute!" Tseng watched Yuffie sprint out of the room with a hint of amusement, turning back to Vincent when Reeve had come to stand beside him.
"So, Vincent, I take it you'll accept our request?" Reeve asked anxiously.
"Yes, I will," Vincent said with a short nod. "I didn't get the sense that either of you were lying to me about any of this, and I've honestly missed having some kind of job to do."
"Good. So when you come back, I think you'll be reinstated as head of the Turks and –"
"No," Vincent said firmly, causing the Commissioner to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "I'm not meant to lead. You can raise me up to the level beneath Tseng, if you want, but no higher. I prefer taking orders to giving them."
"I see," Reeve said, surprised but not insulted. "Well if that's what you want, then that's what we'll do. Do you think you'll be fit to start in three days?"
"Definitely."
"Good. I'll look forward to seeing you again." Then, with a swish of his blue robe, Reeve left the room, heading into the kitchen to talk to the other three Turks. Tseng stood slowly from his seat, striding over to Vincent and extending his hand. Vincent shook it firmly, and Tseng dipped his head in a sort of bow before he, too, started to depart for the kitchen. The gunslinger followed him, surprised when he found Reno, Rude, and Elena immediately surrounding him.
"So, Boss-man, I take it ya talked him into it?" the redhead asked Tseng as he stared intensely at Vincent.
"Yes, he did," Vincent replied somewhat icily; he hated when people talked about him instead of to him even though he was in the room.
"Cool!" Reno said, completely undaunted by Vincent's slightly cold demeanor. "Looks like the legend's back in the black suit where he belongs!"
"Don't scare him off before he even puts the uniform back on, Reno," Rude muttered. Reno stuck his tongue out at the bald man. Elena just rolled her eyes and giggled at the two of them.
"Alright, you three, let's get going," Reeve said in a fatherly tone, already standing at the door beside Tseng. "You'll have plenty of time to bother Vincent once he gets to work on Monday." The three of them obeyed in an instant, aligning themselves behind Reeve as soon as he had spoken. Vincent smiled to himself; yes, he had definitely missed being a Turk. Just before they left, Reeve faced Vincent once more, giving him a friendly, genuine smile.
"It's good to have you back, Vincent."
Author's Note: The plotbunnies attacked again! I'm already working on the next chapter, and it is just full of "d'aww!" moments. You have been warned. ;)
