The war with Wutai was official. ShinRa had wasted no time in sending out the propaganda, spinning their story of the enemy in the West. Reno wondered if he would have bought the propaganda had he still been a regular citizen of Midgar. Sighing he lowered his phone and went back to his breakfast. It was three days since he had been shot and while the potions and healing materia had helped the wounded flesh still stung from where bullets had struck him. Looking over the table, Reno's eyes first fell on Rude. The bald Turk was also staring at his phone while absent-mindedly eating his toast. Next to Rude was Reeve, the Director for Urban Development had been giving the Turks the silent treatment and none of the Turks had the energy to try and convince him not to, Reeve's silence was easy to deal with, easier than trying to justify themselves should the Director want to start an argument. Reno looked back down at his phone, but the sound of the door opening distracted him again. Tseng entered the little hut looking so strangely out of place in his Turk uniform when compared to the Wutain style hut. But all the same, Reno thought Tseng also looked suited to this place, he wondered what kind of life Tseng would have had in Wutai. Tseng had never shared with Reno his history or background, and now Reno found himself curious.

Tseng's dark eyes looked over the other three men before moving into the room. He had been distant since the night in the palace. Tseng had reported his failure to failure to assassinate Lord Godo, but while it would be easy to pin Tseng's sudden melancholy on his failure to complete the mission, Reno knew it was more than that.

"Hey boss, you should have something to eat," Reno said trying to make his tone upbeat. "Want to be properly fed before we load up the chopper."

Tseng's eyes fell on Reno and he seemed to consider the proposal before shaking his head. "I am fine with coffee. Are you feeling up to flying us home?"

Reno nodded. "Yeah, there is no stopover this time, I will be able to fly us straight back over the Eastern Continent."

"Very good." Tseng poured his coffee and went to stare out the window. He had a faraway look in his eye, it barely left since the night in the palace. Reno wanted to ask Tseng what had actually happened in there, but he knew that Tseng would not answer.

After breakfast, Reno and Rude got to work on preparing the chopper. Reno was sitting at the console double-checking the systems when he could no longer keep his mouth shut.

"What do you think has gotten into the boss?" Reno kept his eyes focused on the console adjusting dials and updating the helicopter's logbook.

Rude was quiet for a long moment and Reno had started to think that he would not get an answer. But then Rude slowly turned his head and said. "Something clearly happened in the palace that night, but what it was, I don't know."

Reno looked up from the logbook. "Wanna hear what I think?"

"Hmm," Rude nodded.

"I think," Reno lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Tseng saw someone he knew. Think about it, he is from here." Rude stared at his partner as Reno grew increasingly animated. "He must know people who are still here. What if he saw someone he knew? Maybe he had to fight them?"

Rude sighed. "It is none of our business, Reno. You know that Tseng would be upset if he knew you were speculating about him like this."

Reno deflated and turned back to his chopper finishing the pre-flight checks. "She's good to go. Let Tseng and Reeve know?" Reno stayed in the helicopter while Rude went back inside. The redhead looked out the front of the helicopter, rain clouds were starting to form in the east. "Well, good thing we're flying west." The rain was a new and novel thing to Reno. It rarely rained in Midgar and when it did very little actually made it to the ground. In Wutai, the air would grow thick and heavy until it was hard to breathe, the thick droplets would strike and then splash in all different directions. Reno quietly hoped that he would get the chance to experience the rain again. He was pulled from his thoughts by the arrival of Tseng and Reeve to the helicopter.

To Reno's surprise, Tseng and not Rude slipped into the co-pilot seat. The Wutaian picked up the headset and fitted it. "Ready, Reno?"

"Yeah." Reno stared at the Wutain for a moment trying to see what was going on beyond the near-impenetrable mask that Tseng wore. "You?"

Tseng turned to look at Reno. "Of course, that is why I am sitting here."

Reno nodded and turned back to the console. Rude closed the door to the helicopter and strapped himself in as Reno powered up the helicopter and began the steady ascent into the sky. Reno could not help but look over at Tseng, who was staring out the window and looking back down at Wutai. Reno once again wondered what was going on in the enigmatic head of Tseng, what had happened that night in the palace when all hell had broken loose?

"Shouldn't your eyes be on our flight path?" Tseng spoke softly without turning his head. For a second, Reno felt a shiver of fear wondering how Tseng knew he was staring before realising the other could see Reno's reflection in the window.

"Sorry, just kinda worried about you."

Tseng turned his head and managed the smallest of smiles. "Do not worry about me, Reno."

If only it was so easy to stop worrying. The flight was spent in tense silence, which was magnified by the close proximity the four men were forced to keep. Reno was relieved when Midgar finally came into view. The glowing green light of the mako reactors was a welcome sight to Reno and he felt as if everyone else breathed a sigh of relief too. After checking in with Midgar air control Reno landed the helicopter.

"Tseng, you gonna be okay?" Reno asked watching Reeve walk across the helipad without saying a word to any of them.

"Reno, stop your worrying. Go home, we report to Veld at eight-thirty tomorrow morning." Tseng gently touched Reno's arm. "Go and rest."

At the steps of ShinRa Tower, the three Turks went their separate ways. Reno went to his shoebox apartment in sector four. After showering and changing, Reno decided he was not going to take Tseng's advice. Pulling on a jacket Reno left his apartment stopping by his favourite take away shop and getting burgers. He arrived at the apartment building where Tseng had taken up residence in the last few years as he and Reno had both finally moved out from the ShinRa building.

"Hello?" Tseng's voice came over the intercom.

"Hey, Tseng, I bought dinner."

Even through the crackle and static of the intercom, Reno can hear Tseng sigh. "Come on up." The door beeps and Reno is allowed access to the lobby. He crossed the polished black marble floor to the elevators. One of them lit up green indicating for Reno to enter. It conveyed Reno up to the twenty-first floor and opened its doors into the stuffy hallway. The apartment block was a maze but there were helpful little signs indicating where different apartments were. Reno came to Tseng's door and found it already unlocked. Tseng, dressed in a pair of black sweat pants and a loose hoodie was seated on his grey chaise lounge with two beers already set on the coffee table.

"I should have known telling you to leave me be would be treated as an invitation to visit me."

Reno grinned stopping in the kitchen to grab two stone dining plates from the cupboard, years of knowing Tseng had taught him that takeaway was to be eaten just like any other meal, from a plate and with cutlery. Reno had been wondering for a while how Tseng would tackle a burger with cutlery and it seemed tonight was the night to find out. Balancing the cutlery on top of the plates, Reno made his way from the apartment kitchen to the lounge and set everything down on the coffee table. A swig of beer was needed before Reno unpacked the food onto plates distributing the hot chips evenly between them and giving them each a burger.

"Why are you here?" Tseng asked as he, much to Reno's surprise, picked the burger up with his hands and bit into it.

Reno took some chips from his plate and stuck them in his mouth with a shrug. "Thought you looked like you could use the company. I can't imagine going back to Wutai was easy for you. An' I ain't blind, if you weren't actin' funny when we first arrived you definitely have been since the palace. So you, are gonna have dinner with me and spill."

Tseng put his burger down as he chewed, a delicate black eyebrow quirked and there was a dangerous look in Tseng's eye. Reno wondered if his bluntness had gotten him in trouble. Perhaps, Tseng would simply toss Reno from his apartment and be done with him for the night. Instead, Tseng swallowed picked up his beer and had a sip before turning on the lounge to face Reno properly.

"Very well."

"Wait! What!?" Reno had been expecting an argument, he had been ready with all his answers and arguments of his own.

Tseng's lips twitched in amusement. "I will talk to you about Wutai, if that is what you want."

Reno needed a moment to regain himself, he covered it by taking several large gulps of beer and a handful of chips from his plate. "Right, well, what happened in the palace that night?"

"I went looking for Lord Godo to neutralise him as per my orders," Tseng said turning back to his food as he spoke. Eating gave Tseng a very obvious opportunity to gather his thoughts without Reno having the means to pester him to talk faster. "I found Lord Godo, but he was not alone." Another long silence, this one Tseng let linger too long.

"Who?" Reno prompted.

Tseng sighed heavily and leaned back from his food. "My older sister, the one survivor of my massacre." The sadness in Tseng's eyes was clear to Reno as the other man stared straight ahead at the. "She got in my way. She got in the way of ShinRa. So I did what needed to be done." Tseng may as well have thrown a bucket of cold water over Reno, it was the tone of his voice, the ice that came back into his dark eyes as he said it.

"Oh…" A silence lingers between them as Reno searches for the right words, the right feelings. "I'm sorry you had to do that."

"She and Lord Godo tried to convince me to betray ShinRa, they promised me acceptance, honour, title and a home in Wutai. For all that had happened to be forgotten." Tseng turned to look at Reno as he spoke. "I would be among my own people, I would be the first Akuma to be lavished with rank and title."

"Sounds like it would have been hard to say no to," Reno said running his thumb over the smooth lip of the beer bottle.

Tseng chuckled. "Not at all," his hand reached out and rested on Reno's arm. "I have something here that they could never offer me. I have a family who does not look at me with fear and suspicion. I have love and respect. This is my home and the Turks are my family." Tseng pulled Reno in against his side. "They could never have offered me more than what I already have."