A/N: Hey guys! Once again, sorry about the wait. I know it's probably not been that long since I updated this, but I don't do it as much as I used to, with all the extra workload I've got at school and everything. Also, I wrote the whole of the ending (about 8 pages) a few weeks ago, and then lost it, so I have to write the whole lot again. (sighs) Oh well... XD Thanks alot for all your reviews/support etc.

Enjoy.

Chapter 35

The tension was overwhelming; it felt like something could snap at any moment, even though most of the tension was coming from Reno himself. As he walked down the busy corridor he was certain people kept staring at him. Had word got out about the struggle that Reno was desperately trying to keep to himself, or was it just his tired mind playing tricks on him? Whatever it was, Reno was not in the mood to contend with it; he had suffered a sleepless night, and became apparent that morning that he had barely eaten for the past few days. He was terrified, but what of? He would speak to Tseng about working the mission alone, and he would either say yes or no. It was as simple as that. What was so scary about it? If Tseng said no, Reno would have to refuse the missions or Elena would be killed. If he refused the missions, he would be terminated. It was a lose-lose situation, but somehow he was willing to give his life to save Elena's… but why? He hardly knew her after all, but there was something about her… that, combined with the fact that Elena shouldn't have ever had anything to do with the mission made Reno willing to do anything to save her life.

Reno, once again, didn't bother knocking on Tseng's office door.

"Tseng." He said, slipping in and closing the door behind him. "I need to talk to you. Now."

"Okay." Tseng put down his pen and pushed the paperwork he was working on away from him. He was quite clearly, despite Reno's rudeness, willing to listen to him.

"These missions… I need to do them alone from now on." The redhead said confidently. "If not, then I can't keep working for you."
"Slow down." Tseng said calming. "Now, what do you mean by 'alone'?"

"I have to go back to my old home. It's the only way this can work now. No-one can contact me while I'm there, or there will be trouble."

"I see." The raven-haired man nodded his head. "How long do you want?"

"A few days."

"Your uniform, your PHS-"

"I'll have to leave here for now. I'll be found out otherwise." Reno finished the sentence for him.

"Of course." Tseng nodded again. "But, for safety reasons, you understand it is necessary for us to have some sort of contact with you."

Reno nodded and thought for a moment. "Okay, gimme three days. If you don't hear from me in three days, send someone after me. But make it discreet, okay?"

"Yes… when you return, I expect a full report, and I want you to explain your thinking to me."

"O-okay." Reno stuttered. He was slightly shocked at how well Tseng was taking this; he had been expecting him to take it badly, especially since he hadn't bothered with formalities. Tseng seemed to pick up on this shock as a slight smile touched his lips.

"Reno, in the past few months you've proven yourself to me as capable, if not more capable than any Turks we've had before. I trust you know what you're doing; that's why I'm being easy on you. Incidentally, would you mind telling me why you came to see me yesterday?"

"I was… suspicious." The redhead said bluntly.

"Of?"

"You."

"Ah…" a sudden look of realization dawned over Tseng's features. "Let me guess; because I chased you so much right in the middle of our drug's heist and Mako theft problem. You thought we'd get rid of you?"

"I thought I'd end up dead." Reno admitted.

"I have to admit, when I first found you, my first thought was cheap, disposable labor. But you surprised me with your skill, both physically and intellectually."

"I… see." Reno was lost for words. He hadn't been expecting this.

"But, I figured it would be natural for you to get suspicious. That's why I moved you into a Shin-Ra apartment yesterday. I've dealt with slum children before; they are usually so used to being rejected, when something good happens to them they don't accept it. Well, I can assure you, this is one hundred per cent genuine."

"Well… okay." Reno was really not sure what he shook say. He hadn't put Tseng down as something who would say anything like that to anyone.

"Are you leaving immediately?" Tseng asked, bring a little more seriousness about into his voice.

"As soon as possible."

"Okay… well, while you're gone, it's quite likely your partner will start working." Tseng told him quickly. "I'll get him started on patrolling Sector 8 to start with, to waste time until you get back."

"Okay…" Reno smiled grimly and turned to leave.

"Good luck." Tseng called after him. Reno sighed nervously and left the office without looking back. The only thought in his mind was that after what he was about to do, he might not ever see this building again.

Home, sweet home…

Reno dumped his bag on the filthy floor and looked around him. He never thought he'd be back, but there he was; it was like stepping back in time, and although Reno knew he was still a Turk, he was already starting to feel as worthless as he had done most of his life.

He had only been able to bring with him the things he'd had before joining the Turks. No uniform, no PHS, no EMR. Without them he felt incredibly vulnerably, but he knew Damien wasn't stupid. If he was to bring them with him, he would find them. He only had his little black wallet, and a few scruffy clothes. He was already wearing some black jeans and a shirt, both of which were too big for him, but it was essential to make the illusion complete. He'd also brought with him a short knife; he needed some sort of protection after all. But if something big were to happen, Reno didn't know what he'd do, which made it especially important that he was discreet.

Sighing, Reno sat down on his bed… well a mattress on the floor really. He guessed he should've spoken to the owner of the rooms before he 'moved back in', but come to think of it, he didn't even know Reno had moved out in the first place. It was quite common for his clients to disappear for days, even weeks so Reno's disappearance wouldn't seem strange to his landlord. Besides, there was clearly no one else living there since Reno's old stuff was still there.

Gazing across the damp floor, something silver and glinting caught Reno's eye. The redhead leaned forwards and picked it up, his heart pounding as he saw what it was. A bracelet; a gate bracelet to be precise. It was amazing how many memories that one aged piece of jewelry could bring. It had been the first, and only, piece of jewelry Reno's father had ever bought for his mother. It had been in one of those stages where his poor father had been determined to change himself; he'd even given up drinking to save up the money to buy the bracelet. His mother had loved it, and wore it every day, up until the day before she died, when she gave it to Reno, uttering 'look after it for me, love'. Reno had always been slightly confused as to why she had done that, and he would never really find out the true reasons. It was almost like she knew she was going to die, and she didn't want the bracelet to get stolen by some stranger. Reno had only wore it that day however, he felt strange wearing it after she died. Before long, he'd stopped thinking about it, and he didn't even see in any more. As he slipped it onto his slender wrist, that was the first time he'd touched the cool metal since then. It was loose, but it stayed on without much trouble.

Reno sighed longingly. He knew that being back here would bring back memories, and probably tempt him into doing things he really didn't want to do. There was one temptation that was quickly getting more and more difficult to resist. He stood up slowly and made his way to the set of drawers in the corner. Opening the top one, he pulled out a familiar small, white box; his only friend through his many, painful years of childhood. Lithium.

He had almost forgotten what it felt like; that peaceful feeling that travelled through his veins as the cool, smooth tablets slipped down his throat. As he held the box in his hand, it was like a ghost of his past was coming back to haunt him. He'd done so much in the last few months in getting his life on track… could it be any better? Just by the simple swallowing notion and letting the drug pass into his system, his life could either get even better, or, more likely, a whole lot worse.