Hi there!
How are you all?
Well anyway, I
decided to do the customary 'Reno's troubled life' fic, as I luv-luv-luv him to
tiny-weeny pieces.
But on to the
topic at hand.
The fanfic. I think what I'll do, is separate it into
stages of life…up until adulthood, cos I don't wanna think of an elderly
Reno…ick.
Hope you like
part one!
~ Wannon-chan ~
The Beginning
The beautiful young woman was dead. The midwife removed her hand from the woman's wrist with a sigh, before glancing over at the small human being in the corner.
This woman had died giving birth to a baby boy, who was now an orphan. Lord only knew who the father was…it could have been anyone. The old midwife sighed again. She was faced with a dilemma;
What to do with this child?
She herself could not take care of it…she was far too old now to be raising children.
She knew that sadly, no-one else would take him in, for people in the slums were poor, and could barely support themselves, let alone another child.
Poor little nameless one…you are all alone, and you have only just been brought into this world…the midwife thought with a heavy heart. She knew the only other option…
The 'Orphanage'.
This 'Orphanage' was a very large, old mansion on the outskirts of the slums, and housed many children. There were rumours about what the owner did to the children…it was something that the old woman didn't want to think about.
But they were only rumours…nothing was confirmed, and that helped to settle the woman's nerves a little. She picked the small child up and held it close, cooing into his ear. She placed him back down, before disposing of the boy's mother's body, burning it.
Once that gruesome task was done, the midwife wrapped the baby up in a bundle of dirty blankets, and left the messy apartment room, walking down the long flight of creaky wooden stairs. Once down the bottom, she cautiously pushed open the door to the outside world.
Taking slow steps, she wandered along the streets, keeping her eyes out for trouble. Luck was on her side, for she encountered no-one dangerous, and eventually she arrived at the doorstep to the 'Orphanage'. Giving the child one last hug, and kissing him softly on the top of his head, she placed him upon the dusty doorstep. Then she turned and shuffled off into the darkness of shadows, not once looking back for fear that she may not be able to tear herself away.
Be well, nameless one…be well…
~ * ~
Davis Reeves' eyes snapped open on a Sunday morning. He glared at his bedside clock. The flashing red digits informed him that it was only seven in the morning.
Why am I awake? It's unusual for me to be awake this early…he thought, before a high-pitched wail broke through his thoughts.
Oh…that must have woken me. It sounds like a baby…funny, we don't have any babies here right now. I'd better go take a look. He thought, slowly lifting the covers of his warm bed, letting the crisp morning air cause him to break into goosebumps. He shivered a little, before grabbing his robe, and wrapping it around him. He opened his bedroom door on the second floor of the run-down mansion, and looked out from over the railing. All his orphans were already awake, and huddled at the front door, peering curiously at a bundle on the doorstep. The bundle burst into tears, wailing piteously. Davis smiled.
Aha…a baby. So I wasn't imagining it! he thought proudly, as he descended down the stairs towards his children. He smiled at them all.
Davis Reeves had originally created this place in order to take orphans in, and give them the skills they needed to survive. Now however, Shinra had bought it. Davis was now in charge of a Turk Factory. This 'Orphanage' raised the parentless children, while training them to be Turks. Of course, the Turks were an elite part of the Shinra armed forces, so only a few made it. Those that didn't were usually drafted into the Shinra Army, or stayed back to train some more.
The real purpose of the 'Orphanage' couldn't be revealed to the public, for security reasons. So many people had begun rumours about the honor of Davis, saying that he was doing terrible things to the children. This was not true, and hurt Davis deeply. He loved each child as though they were his own flesh and blood, and would never harm them in any way.
"Good morning children…shouldn't you be getting ready for your classes now?" he asked politely. Davis brought up the children until they were old enough to begin training…he was like a father figure for most of them. The veterans of SOLDIER were the teachers.
The children smiled at Davis, before beginning a long chorus of 'Good morning Mr. Reeves'. Davis chuckled to himself, and the children dashed off, except for a couple, who hung back. They were the youngest of the lot, and were yet to begin their training. Usually the children began training at age 10, but there were some exceptions. Davis raised an eyebrow questioningly at them.
"Rude? Tseng? What are you still doing here?" he asked kindly. The little two-year olds smiled mischeviously.
"Mister Reeves? We wan' help yoo wiv the baby" Rude said, nodding affirmatively as he spoke, his dark brown bangs falling in front of his eyes. Davis picked the small baby up from the doorstep, and looked at it. It had blue eyes and bright red hair. It cooed up at him, reaching out with its tiny hands. He turned to Tseng and Rude, who were waiting patiently behind him.
"Are you sure you want to? A baby is a lot of work for…" he was about to say 'little boys like you', but realised that they would become angry at being called 'little'.
"…uh, for big boys like you" he amended. Rude and Tseng smiled proudly at being called 'big boys'.
"Yup! We wan' help yoo! I had a little bwother once…his name was Reno. But a bad man killed him and my mommy. This baby looks like my bwother…can we call him Reno?" Rude asked. Tseng jumped up and down happily, the tattooed dot on his forehead blurring into a red line as he did so.
"Ooh yes! Please, Mister Reeves? I like that name, Rude…Reno is a good name! You sure are smart!" he cried. Tseng was the better spoken one of the pair, Rude just couldn't grasp some of the pronunciations.
Davis smiled down at them.
"I think that's a wonderful name, Rude. Here, would you like to hold the baby?" he asked. Rude nodded, and held his arms out patiently. Davis placed the small child in his arms, before leaving them alone to set up the old cot in his room. Tseng tickled baby Reno's stomach, as Rude looked down lovingly at him.
"Hawo little bwother…me and yoo is going to be bestest fwends!" he said proudly, as the baby gurgled. Tseng looked upset.
"I thought we were bestest friends!" he exclaimed. Rude nodded wisely.
"We are. But me an' Reno is gonna be bestest bwother fwends!" he said reassuringly. "Me and yoo is always gonna be bestest fwends, Tsengy…"
Tseng smiled once more, and the two played with the baby. That is, until baby Reno began to cry.
"Mister Reeves! Reno is crying!" Tseng called, and Davis emerged from his room, covered in dust. He walked down the stairs to where the boys had put the baby, both pointing to him. Davis sighed.
"He's probably hungry, guys. After all, he was outside all night…wouldn't be surprised if the poor kid has caught a cold…" he said, half to himself. He knew that he needed to make the child a bottle, and told Rude and Tseng to watch over him until he got back. Tseng and Rude looked at each other, sharing a look that said; 'maybe we should have kept our mouths shut'.
Davis entered the kitchen, rummaging around until he found a bottle in the cupboards. It had been such a long time since there was an infant in the house, but he basically knew what he was doing. After all, he had been raising children for years.
He gently heated the bottle, sterilizing it, before beginning to warm up the bottle again…this time with goats' milk in it. He tested it on his skin, and found it to be a good temperature. He then returned to the foyer, where Tseng and Rude were trying to calm Reno down. They looked at Davis and smiled.
"He stopped crying when Rude picked him up. I think he likes Rude" Tseng commented. Davis grinned.
"That's great! Here, Rude. I'll show you how to feed the baby if you want" he said. Rude smiled and nodded, gratefully accepting the bottle from Davis' hands. He touched the nipple of the bottle to Reno's lips, and the baby drank, almost choking in his hunger.
"Slow down, Reno! Yoo'll choke!" Rude exclaimed. Reno finished the bottle in no time, and Davis showed Rude how to burp the baby. Both of the two-year olds giggled loudly when Reno released a loud burp.
"Say excuse me!" Tseng joked, and Davis laughed.
~ * ~
The next few days were hell for Davis, Rude and Tseng. Reno fell ill, and needed to be tended to more often than a normal infant. As a result, the trio very rarely got any sleep. They were always feeding, changing or cuddling Reno. Tseng pulled out of the responsibility quite quickly, saying something about beauty sleep. Davis didn't know that two-year olds even cared about looks.
But Rude was determined to show everyone, including Reno himself, that he was a good brother.
Needless to say, Davis was highly impressed by this show of devotion and determination. He liked spending time with Rude, and found that the little boy had a lot of heart.
One night, Davis and Rude were sitting together in Davis' room, exhausted after finally putting Reno to sleep. Rude looked up at Davis with wondering eyes.
"Mister Reeves?" he asked. Davis nodded, signaling for the young boy to continue. He took a deep breath.
"Why…why did my mommy die? And why did Reno die?" he asked, bottom lip quivering. Davis sighed. Rude had been brought in at the age of one, by a SOLDIER cadet. The cadet explained that there was a bad bout of domestic violence…apparently the husband had come home drunk and angry, beaten his wife and child until it was too late to save them…all because the wife hadn't prepared dinner yet.
Davis didn't want to tell Rude that his daddy killed his mom and little brother…not yet anyway. He decided to wait until Rude was old enough to understand.
"I…I don't know, Rude. I'm sorry…sometimes bad things happen to good people…" he said. The little boy's face scrunched up in confusion.
"But why would anyone want to hurt my mommy? She was a good lady!" he protested, beginning to cry. "I miss my mommy…" he whispered. Davis hugged the small boy closely as he cried.
"I know your mommy was a good lady…it was just something that happened" he said weakly. He was feeling the small child fall to pieces in his arms. Not once had Rude cried while he was in the 'Orphanage'…now finally, a years worth of tears were being let out.
"A-at least I have my baby bwother back…" he mumbled.
Davis smiled to himself, thinking of the small child in the crib. That child was the solution to Rude's problem. The small boy was so happy while around the baby, his face lit up, and his smile was infectious.
I
think we all are affected by Reno's arrival…in different ways… he mused. Either way, I'm glad he's here…
~ * ~
One afternoon, Davis was trying to find Rude. The little boy had been missing for a few hours, and Reno was missing, too.
Rude's probably taken Reno somewhere…I'd better find him before Reno gets upset…Davis thought. He saw Tseng sitting cross-legged on the floor, combing his long ebony hair. Davis crouched down to talk to him.
"Tseng? Have you seen Reno and Rude?" he asked. The exotic-looking boy nodded, his dark eyes sad.
"Yes, Mister Reeves…they went out back. I hope Rude gets in trouble! He's a big meany…" Tseng said sadly. Davis raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? What has he done?" he asked. Tseng frowned.
"He didn't let me go with him. He said only brothers could come, and that I'm not his brother!" he said angrily. Davis nodded.
"Don't worry, I'll talk to him about it. We're all family here, he knows that," Davis said. Tseng nodded, and continued to comb his gorgeous hair.
Davis walked outside, and saw Rude playing with Reno, the younger child squealing with glee and kicking wildly.
How cute…those two really make great brothers…he thought, as he watched them play, a smile on his face. Rude picked up the baby, and hugged him gently, kissing the top of his head.
"I love yoo, little brother…yoo're the gweatest" Rude said quietly, and Davis had to stop himself from making an 'awww' noise at that. Instead, he walked back into the house, leaving the two 'brothers' in peace.
~ * ~
Five relatively happy and trouble-free years passed, and Reno had his fifth birthday.
"Happy Birthday, Reno!" Rude (now seven) cried. Reno grinned up at Rude.
"Thanks, Rude…hey, aren't you gonna sing the song?" he whimpered. Rude smiled at the pouty look on his little brother's face.
"Of course we are!…Tseng, get over here!" Rude said, and Tseng scampered over, away from the shiny balloon he was fixated with…or maybe it was his reflection in the balloon he was fixated with, I'm not sure.
Reno sat happily, absorbing the surroundings with his beautiful blue eyes. He had been told by Davis that when he was older, he would be quite the handsome young man, and to try not to break too many ladies' hearts. This had made Reno quite proud of himself, and he usually spent a little while preening in front of a mirror.
I'm gonna be a handsome man! And I wanna have a pretty wife! Like Tseng! He would make a great wife! He's pretty! Reno thought, and glanced at Tseng happily, as he and Rude sang 'Happy Birthday'.
He looked around at his family, and one face stood out. An older boy, about 8 years old. Reno thought hard for a moment, and the boy's name sprung to mind.
Jordan.
Reno smiled to himself, happy to recall the name. He saw Jordan smiling at him as everyone joined in the singing.
Jordan must be a nice boy. Maybe he wants to be friends with me? Reno thought hopefully. He wanted to surround himself with people…he hated being alone, he told Rude one time. 'Because I feel sad when I'm alone' he had said. He was always very open with Rude, mainly because he was family, of sorts. Rude told him where he had come from, and about the day they found him on the doorstep.
Rude said it was the best day of his life, the day he found me. He thought. He leapt up, smiling and clapping as everyone finished singing, before plonking himself happily back on the ground. Jordan's eyes never left Reno, and it made him a little uncomfortable. He played with his long red hair absently for a while, before Tseng and Rude sat down beside him.
"So, are you having a good birthday, Reno?" Tseng asked. The redheaded boy smiled at him, and hugged him happily.
"Yes! Thankyou for your present, Tseng…" he said shyly. The Asian boy blushed. Reno turned to Rude.
"Oh, and thank you, too!" he cried, hugging his 'brother'. Rude laughed and hugged him back.
"We're glad you liked it…we weren't too sure…" he said. Reno giggled.
"You know I love chocolate!" he said in exasperation. Rude smiled.
"Yeah, but you eat anything…" he teased. Reno pulled out of Rude's embrace and stood mock-angrily in front of him.
"Don't tease me, Rude! I can kick your butt!" he drawled. Rude stood up, and laughed, looking down on his younger brother. They both snapped into fighting stances, until Jordan intervened, picking up Reno and tickling him.
"I don't think so, buddy…you wanna hurt your brother?" he joked. Reno giggled.
"Yes! He's being mean!" he laughed. Jordan frowned.
"Well don't worry. I'll protect you" he said, putting Reno down. Reno looked up at Jordan and smiled.
"Thankyou, Jordan" he said smugly, before running back to Rude and Tseng, pouncing on them and beginning an impromptu wrestling match.
Davis watched the whole scene with interest. Reno was quite advanced for his age, he spoke well, and was quite intelligent.
Jordan was what caught Davis' eye. He seemed to like Reno as much as Rude did, and looked to be desperately seeking a friendship with the young boy, despite the fact that Reno was three years younger than he was.
Intriguing…he thought, joining in the laughter as he watched Rude getting beaten up by Reno.
"Get him, Reno!" he called out. Reno showed natural skills for fighting…possibly Rude had taught him a few things, but neither of them was old enough to begin training yet.
Just five more years, Reno. Then you can show us all what you can really do…and I'll be
looking forward to it…
End Part One.
Look out for Part Two: Trials and Tribulation. (Coming to a store near you…
* snigger *)
Well, that's the end of the first part. I know it was more about Rude than anyone else, but it's hard to write about a baby. The next part will begin with Reno as a 10 year old. He'll begin his training, and face the difficulties adolescence brings. I think the second part will end when he turns 20, I think…or at least when he makes it into the Turks.
Um…let me know
what you thought of this…at the moment, I'm not too sure about it.
Many thanks…
~ Wannon-chan ~