Well…the third
part, huh? I never thought I'd make it!
Yet I still have
so far to go…cos I have to record the dialogue. Yeah that's right. I'm
doing in-game stuff, too.
I have a plastic
drink-lid on my big toe.
And I am
suffering from extreme itchy legs…
Stupid mosquitoes!
WHY ME?!
Uh…I'm
waffling…sorry.
Anyway…I should
try and get this show on the road, huh?
Enjoy!
~ Wannon-chan ~
The Inauguration.
Eight years had passed…it was time.
Reno and Rude shot each other nervous glances as they waited to partake in the annual Turk exam. They shared a secret smile, as they knew that even though they were nervous, the idea of finally putting all their skills into action was enthralling.
"This should be fun, huh Rude?" Reno whispered. The bald man turned to look at him, a rare smile appearing on his face, making Reno smile happily.
"…Yes…I think, I might enjoy this…" Rude said slowly.
~ * ~
Rude hadn't been very stable after the rape, and not surprisingly, a year after the event he was still recovering. He would only speak to Reno, he hardly ever smiled. Even when he was speaking to Reno, he never said much, and his sentences were forced. He was not at all like the boy Reno once knew, and it hurt him greatly to see his brother in such emotional turmoil.
Jordan…had been disposed of. Shinra wanted nothing to do with rapists…Reno was happy about it, but Rude took Jordan's death onto his shoulders.
"It's my fault Jordan's dead…it's my fault he raped me…" he had whispered to Reno one night, as the redhead had held him in his arms, keeping nightmares at bay. Reno had become angry, but forced it back.
"No, Rude…it's Jordan's fault he's dead, and it was Jordan's fault he raped you" he had said calmly, before becoming silent, letting his tears fall.
It had been emotionally tolling on Reno, too…having to completely change roles in his life and become the big brother, the protector, and the comforter. But he took it all in stride, and adapted well. Every now and then though, when he was sure Rude was asleep…Reno would cry. He would cry for innocence lost, and for the unacceptable breaking of his older brother's spirit.
~ * ~
Never again… Reno thought determinedly. No-one will ever lay a hand on my brother again!
His thoughts were interrupted, as the inspector entered, along with a Turk. Reno knew it was a Turk, he'd seen them before…that dark blue uniform. He'd recognize it anywhere. He looked at the Turk a little closer, noting the dark ebony hair, which spilled down past it's owners shoulders. The Turk turned suddenly, and Reno gasped. Those beautiful dark eyes, that red dot, that hair…
"Tseng!" he cried. The solemn-looking Turk's eyes lit up at the familiar voice, searching out its source. Those dark eyes finally settled on Reno, and Tseng cracked a smile. He approached the Turk candidate quickly, and embraced him.
"Reno! I've missed you…" he whispered. Reno felt himself blush at the intimacy of the handsome man's embrace.
"I've missed you, too Tseng…" he whispered back. Tseng pulled away, leaving Reno feeling cold. He wanted desperately to embrace Tseng, run his fingers through his hair… kiss those full lips…
Stop it! Reno chastised himself. Tseng's not like that…don't get your hopes up!
Rude saw Reno blush, and smiled to himself.
Oh, little brother…such exotic tastes in partners you have! He'll be a hard one to snag, no doubt. He thought. Although, from the look in Tseng's eyes it seems as though it won't be as hard as I originally thought…
"Rude!" Tseng
exclaimed, hugging Rude before Reno could stop him. Tseng felt Rude stiffen in his embrace and pulled back quickly, a
look of confusion on his perfect face.
"Uh…a lot's
happened, Tseng…" Reno said, as a way of explanation. Tseng looked at Rude again, a concerned look replacing his
confused one.
Rude said
nothing, but nodded to Reno. The
redhead sighed.
"Rude was-" he
began, before a gruff voice interrupted him.
"Okay,
everyone! It's time to see if you're good enough! Gya ha ha ha!" the fat man in
front of them all said. Tseng frowned,
and rolled his eyes. Reno stifled a
giggle.
"You know this
guy?" he whispered. Tseng nodded.
"Heidegger…he's
my boss…and soon to be yours, if you prove to him that you're good enough" he
whispered back, with a challenging smile. Reno grinned lopsidedly.
"Oh, we're good
enough!" he crowed.
"Tseng! Quit
fraternizing with the Turk wannabe's, and get over here!" Heidegger
barked. Tseng sighed.
"Good luck,
both of you…I hope you're okay, Rude. Talk to you later" he said, before calmly strolling back to Heidegger's
side. Reno watched him go, blushing.
Hmm, Tseng…you've become even more
attractive than you were as a child!…if only you were interested… he thought sadly, sighing. Rude nudged him with his elbow.
"You like him,
don't you" Rude whispered, and Reno jumped in shock. The way Rude had said it was more of a statement than a question.
Am I that obvious?! Reno thought worriedly. He turned to look at his 'brother'
"Rude!…you
think he's interested?" he asked hopefully. The bald man nodded.
"…Yes. He looked…interested, I guess," came the
slow reply. Reno almost whooped with
joy, but restrained himself.
Hmm…this could prove to be
interesting…I'll have to watch Tseng a little closer, not that I really mind,
though! He thought with a
grin.
~ * ~
One by one, the
Turk candidates were escorted out into the plains outside Midgar. Those with non-lethal weapons, or ones that
had different settings like Reno's, were asked to battle against a Shinra
soldier, while Heidegger and Tseng observed them. Those who had deadly weapons were taken to fight random monsters
out in the grass. Rude was one of those
who battled the monsters, as his projectile weapons were quite lethal.
And so the test
began.
Reno watched
his opponent cautiously, watching for any sudden movement. The Shinra soldier's sword twitched
slightly, and Reno leapt forward, electro-rod extended. He hit the soldier solidly on his head, and
shocked him. He bounced backwards,
keeping an eye on the stunned man before him. The soldier shook his head, and rushed forwards in a rage, waving his
sword like a lunatic. Reno sidestepped
the charge, and placed the electro-rod in front of the soldier's legs, tripping
him. The embarrassed soldier leapt to
his feet, his face streaked with dirt and grass stains. Reno held in a giggle, and leapt forward to
hit the soldier again, this time on his shoulder. The soldier crumpled before him, and Reno gave a snort of
triumph, as the soldier didn't get up again.
"That was too
easy!" he crowed, as he kicked the unconscious body. Heidegger watched with interest.
Hmm…he's got spunk. I like it. The fact that he's very skilled with his weapon doesn't hurt, either…He thought, making notes. Tseng smiled approvingly at Reno, who
blushed prettily, and looked the other way.
~ * ~
Rude saw the
inspector heading in his direction.
Don't blow this opportunity, Rude…you
just gotta make it! he told
himself, as he approached a group of Razor Weeds. They began to attack him fiercely, and Rude threw some ninja
stars, cutting up one of them. He pricked
his finger on one of the sharp edges, and saw the blood…
Bright red
blood…his blood…
Images flooded
Rude's mind, of his rape, and of Reno's scars. He became infuriated, and launched into an all-out attack on the
monsters, killing them quickly. He slumped
to the ground, feeling dizzy.
He's powerful…that's good, very
good. He's very skilled…Heidegger thought as he observed the
silent bald man. Tseng was by his side,
helping him to his feet.
"…Thankyou"
Rude mumbled. Tseng smiled.
"You're welcome,
Rude" he said, as Reno appeared beside them.
"Rude spoke to
you?" he asked. Rude snorted.
"…Reno…I'm
right here" he said angrily. Reno
blushed.
"Sorry Rude…you
talked to him?" he asked. Tseng looked
confused again.
"Why wouldn't
he?!" he exclaimed. Rude looked at his
feet.
"……" he
said. Reno sighed, and jumped a little
as Tseng's hand caressed his scars.
"Reno? Will you
tell me what the hell has happened? And how you got these scars?" he asked
softly. Reno failed at his attempt to
stop himself from leaning into Tseng's hand, and blushed when he saw Tseng's
eyes widen.
"Uhh…sorry,
Tseng. Rude? Do you want me to tell
him?" he asked. Rude looked up from his
feet.
"…No…I want to
tell him myself" he said quietly. Reno
nodded, and walked away, leaving the two friends to talk in private.
~ * ~
"Rude…please
tell me" Tseng said quietly. The bald
man nodded.
"…After you
left, I was…I was raped" he said. Tseng's eyes widened in shock, and he became angry.
"Who? Who did
this to you?!" he snapped. Rude shook
his head.
"…He's…already
dead" he said. Tseng looked
disappointed.
"Oh…well, how
did Reno get those scars?" he asked. Rude looked angry.
"…Jordan. He was the rapist…he cut up Reno when he
tried to save me…" he said. Rude saw
Tseng's eyes flash with hatred.
"That
miserable, good-for-nothing bastard!" he snapped. Rude smiled sadly.
"…You like him,
don't you?" he asked suddenly. Tseng's
eyes looked at him abruptly, a question forming on his lips.
"Who?" he
asked. Rude blushed.
"…Reno" he
whispered. It was Tseng's turn to
blush.
"I-I don't
know…he's not that way inclined, is he?" Tseng asked. Rude smiled.
"……he is" he
said finally. Tseng smiled.
"Really? Oh,
but he wouldn't be interested in me…he probably still thinks of me as a
friend…" Tseng said, mainly to himself. Rude shook his head.
"…No, even back
then he had a crush on you. I once
walked in on him singing a song about marrying 'Tsengy' 'cos he's real pretty'"
Rude said, stifling a chuckle at that memory. Tseng blushed.
"Oh…thankyou
for telling me, Rude. I would never
have known…" he said quietly. Rude
shrugged.
"…I just want
to see him happy. He stresses himself
out so much by being so overprotective of me…I may have suffered a trauma, but
I'm not going to break…" he said sadly, dismissing the panic attack he just
had. "Just don't do anything to hurt
him, Tseng…you'll have an angry bald man to answer to" he said. Tseng cowered in mock-fear.
"Oh no! those
are the worst kind!" he cried jokingly. "But why was Reno so shocked at the fact that you spoke to me?" he
queried.
"…Because until
now, he's the only one I spoke to…" Rude explained, and Tseng nodded
understandingly.
"I see…well, I
think Heidegger will soon start yelling at me if I don't rejoin him…good luck,
Rude. Be happy…" Tseng said. Rude opened his arms for a hug, and Tseng
gratefully embraced him. "I'm glad
you're okay with me wanting to be with Reno…I hope you both make it into the
Turks, although from what I saw, you're both pretty much a definite" he whispered. They broke the hug, and smiled at each
other.
"Bye Rude…"
Tseng called, as he walked off. Rude
waved in reply.
~ * ~
Reno was
sitting on the stairs of the mansion, tapping his electro-rod absently on his
shoe.
I hate waiting…what's taking so long?!
Why can't they announce the graduates already?! He thought. He saw Rude enter, and waved at him. The bald man smiled slightly and made his way over to sit next to his
agitated younger brother.
"What's takin'
so long, huh? Jeez, I can't stand this!" Reno began, making wild hand gestures
as he spoke. Rude laughed a little.
"…Impatient,
aren't you?" he said. Reno stopped
waving and ranting, and laughed.
"Yeah, I guess
I am. But I wanna know if I made
it!…aren't you excited yet?!" he asked. Rude shook his head.
"Not
really…seen Tseng yet?" he asked. Reno
looked at him suspiciously.
"No I
haven't…why?" he asked. Rude grinned.
"No reason" he
replied. Reno frowned. He knew he wouldn't get anything out of
Rude…he was very immune to Reno's puppy-dog eyes. The silence returned, broken by the occasional sound of
electro-rod on shoe. Reno couldn't take
it anymore.
"I gotta get
rid of some energy! I'll catch ya later, Rude" Reno said, leaping to his
feet. Rude nodded in reply, and watched
the redhead bounce off down the hallway.
~ * ~
Reno was about
to leave the building when he bumped into Tseng. Literally.
"Hey, sorry
Tseng…I guess I should watch where I'm goin, huh?" he said with a goofy
smile. Tseng smiled back.
"Yeah…hey,
don't go anywhere, I'm about to announce the graduates" Tseng said. Reno's face brightened.
"Did I make
it?! ooh, tell me!" he pleaded. Tseng
shook his head, a cunning smile on his face.
"No, I want it
to be a surprise" he said. Reno leapt
into the air.
"I made it, didn't
I?" he asked. Tseng sighed.
"I'm not
telling!" he said. Reno turned his
puppy-dog eyes on Tseng, who laughed.
"You know that
won't work on me, Reno! I've lived with you long enough to be immune to that
look, too!" he said. Reno looked
shocked.
"What? You thought
Rude was the only one who was immune?" Tseng asked, leaning close to Reno. Reno found his face painfully close to Tseng's,
and the small distance left was quickly being eaten up. They looked at each other uncertainly,
before they found themselves kissing clumsily. Reno felt butterflies in his stomach.
Why am I doing this? Yeah, he's cute and
all…but it's a little too early for this! Reno thought, readying himself to push Tseng away
and have a little talk to him. He wasn't
that lucky. Before he could pull away,
a voice interrupted them.
"Oh…oh my Lord…"
the female voice said. Tseng and Reno
pulled apart in shock to see Miho standing before them, hand over her mouth,
eyes wide.
"Miho…I, uh…"
Reno stuttered. Tseng hung his head,
blushing.
"Sorry you had
to see that, Miho…" Tseng apologised quietly. Miho began to cry.
"So…so that's
why you were always ignoring me, Reno…you're gay!" she sobbed. Reno felt a wave of shame wash over him, and
he approached her, intending to comfort the heartbroken girl.
"Miho, don't
cry, please…" he said, opening his arms to hug her.
"Don't touch
me!" she cried, before dashing off down the hallway in tears. Reno and Tseng looked at each other sadly.
"Whoops…" they
said in unison. Tseng looked at his
watch.
"Well, as much
as I would like to pick up where we left off, I have to make this damn
announcement now…come with me" he said, extending his arm.
"Uh…Tseng, we
really need to talk…" Reno said.
"Later, Reno,
later…" Tseng said rather exasperatedly. He grabbed Reno's
arm and dragged
him into the foyer, where everyone was crowded. They looked at Reno and Tseng in unison, hopeful looks on their
faces. Tseng smiled at them.
"I'm here to
announce the graduates…now, for those of you who don't make it…don't
worry. You would be better suited to be
in the Shinra Army, and we have many positions available there…" he began. He was met with impatient faces, and cleared
his throat.
"Uh…the
graduates for this year are…" he trailed off.
~ * ~
Davis watched
from the balcony, observing the facial expressions of his children.
Reno looks awfully confused and upset…I wonder
why? Or is he just certain of failing? He thought, before moving his gaze to Rude.
Rude's face isn't giving anything
away…but he is constantly glancing at Reno and frowning…maybe he knows?
Davis smiled to
himself. Tseng was deliberately waiting,
creating unbearable suspense. He
listened closely as Tseng finally announced the names.
~ * ~
"…Reno and
Rude. That is all." He finished. The brothers whooped loudly, and everyone
clapped. There was no need for jealousy
or animosity…the other children knew that Rude and Reno deserved to be a part
of the Turks.
"All right!
Rude! We made it!" Reno cried, hugging Rude happily. Rude smiled, and hugged him back.
"We sure
did…I'm glad" he said. The two brothers
looked at each other. They both had the
same question on their lips…
What now?
~ * ~
"Okay guys…this
is where you'll be living…" Tseng said, opening the door to a small suite in
the Turks 'housing area'…despite the fact that there were only…four Turks? Reno was unsure. The only ones he knew of were himself and Rude, Tseng…and some
little blonde female called Elena, who wasn't quite a Turk yet…she was more of
a bodyguard. She had no training in the
Turk protocol as of now.
"Great! I get
first dibs on beds!" Reno yelped, rushing into the room. Ever since they had left the orphanage,
Tseng had been by Reno's side…and it made Reno slightly uncomfortable, but happy. He was still waiting for a chance to talk to
the gorgeous Turk, though. He needed to
explain a few things to him.
Rude looked to
Tseng and smiled.
"So…are you and
Reno…you know?" Rude whispered. Tseng
flushed.
"I…not yet. As of now, I am debating over asking at
all…" he admitted. Rude frowned.
"Why?" he
queried.
"Well, we work
together…it would be frowned upon…" Tseng said.
"What would be
frowned upon?" a new voice behind them queried. Tseng cringed inwardly, before turning to look at the
interruption.
"Mr.
Vice-President…so nice to see you" he said politely, bowing. Rude did the same.
"Oh,
stop…enough formalities. I have come to
see the new additions, as I will be seeing a lot of them for the first few months"
he said. Rude looked at Tseng
quizzically.
"Allow me to
explain, Rude…oh, wait. Reno needs to
hear this, too…RENO!!" Tseng yelled, and the redheaded Turk skidded into view,
half-dressed.
"What?! Tseng
man, I'm tryin' to get changed! Is it that damn important?!" he said, stopping
and staring at the new addition to the room.
"Who's this
guy?" he asked, as he looked over the youngster. Very tidy strawberry-blonde hair…beautiful blue eyes…porcelain
skin…and an amused smirk?!
"…Reno, is it?
I am Vice-President Rufus. You, and
your bald friend will be taking care of my security for a while…in other words,
you will be my bodyguards" he said coolly, a hint of a smile appearing on his
perfect face. Reno gulped as Rufus
looked him over.
"You're rather
casually dressed to greet the Vice President of Shinra Inc, aren't you?" he
asked, licking his lips predatorily. Tseng frowned. Rufus was at it
again…
"Uh, I'm so
sorry Mr. Vice President! It won't happen again, sir!" Reno yelped. Rufus moved towards him, cupping his chin.
"It sounds so
strange hearing you call me sir…why, you and I can't be that far apart,
age-wise…how old are you?" Rufus inquired. Reno bit his bottom lip.
"Eighteen, sir"
he replied. Rufus smiled.
"Ah, and I am
nineteen…please, from now on, call me Rufus. Only address me formally when in the public eye…or the eye of my father
and his cronies…" Rufus said with distaste. He caressed the slim scars on Reno's face.
"How on earth
did you get these?" Rufus murmured softly. Tseng cleared his throat, and Rufus jumped.
"Mmm? Is he
yours, Tseng?" the strawberry-blonde queried. Tseng blushed, as Reno looked at him questioningly.
"No, sir…he is
not, but…" Tseng said, trailing off. Rufus smiled knowingly, backing off.
"I understand,
Tseng, sorry" he said. Tseng blushed.
"Thankyou,
sir. You are most kind" he said
shyly. Rufus merely laughed.
"Tseng, drop
the whole 'sir' thing. My father is
nowhere near here, thank god" he said. Tseng nodded.
"Yes, Rufus." He
replied. Rufus smiled.
"Better. Oh, and be in my office early tomorrow
morning, you new guys. We need to
discuss the details of your job" he said. Reno turned to look at the Vice President.
"Yes, sir…uh,
where's your office?" he asked. Tseng
smiled at him.
"I'll take you
guys on a tour later…" he said with a laugh. "But Reno, right now you need to get dressed…standing half-naked in front
of the Vice-President isn't exactly proper protocol, you know…"
"Like you mind…"
Reno grumbled, causing Tseng to blush, but obediently trudged back into the
room.
"Well he'll
certainly spice up the workplace a bit…best part is, I'm sure 'Daddy dearest'
won't like him! I'll enjoy seeing the look on his face!" Rufus chuckled, before
leaving. Tseng sighed.
That's true…President Shinra is a man of 'class',
and I'm sure that Reno's attitude will grate his nerves…I must warn Reno about
him. He thought, before
helping the two new Turks settle into their new home…and their new life.
Once they were
unpacked, and relaxed, Tseng went over the basics of Turk life.
"Now you know,
normally Turks aren't bodyguards…we usually seek out candidates for SOLDIER, do
kidnappings, etc, etc…but you guys still have to pass a final test, and to do
that, you have to protect the Vice-President" he said. Rude sneered a little.
"…You know, he
seemed pretty promiscuous to me…I didn't like him" he said. Tseng laughed.
"You're
right. He is promiscuous. But that's one of the things you learn to live with…when I first
arrived, he tried getting into my pants, too…I kindly declined, and he
threatened to fire me. President Shinra
made sure he couldn't."
"Couldn't what?
Fire you?" Reno asked. Tseng nodded,
but his expression was pained.
"Well, yes…but
he also made sure he couldn't walk for a week or so…" Tseng confessed
sadly. Reno leapt to his feet, an angry
expression on his face.
"That's
disgusting! What kind of a man is he?!" he snapped. Tseng shrugged.
"A disgusting
one? Anyway, that's what I have to warn you about…he's not exactly the most wonderful
man on the Planet…watch yourselves, I don't want a reoccurrence of what
happened to you, Rude…" he said softly. Rude shuddered, and Reno hugged him tightly.
"Not a chance
of that happening, Rude…I promised no-one would hurt you again, and I'll make
sure that promise is kept" he said. Tseng smiled at the brotherly affection, before becoming serious once
more.
"Reno, that
means you, too. Look after
yourself. I can't be there to watch you
two all the time" he said. Reno nodded.
"Don't worry…Reno
can take care of himself!" he exclaimed, beating his chest. Tseng laughed, but his mind was dubious.
I just hope you're right, Reno…he thought.
End of Part
Three.
Look out for
Part Four: Mission Accepted.
Well, there is still more to come…I waffled a little in this part, but
oh well!
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Oops, I held the key for too long. I need to relax…maybe a nice cup of tea-
Quatre: "Would you like some tea, Wannon-chan?"
Wannon-chan: "Quatre! ::glomps him:: I'd love some tea…"
::Quatre smiles::
::Inside Quatre's mind – "Trowa! Help me…"::
::Quatre hands Wannon a cup of tea::
Wannon-chan: "Thanks Q-chan…"
Duo: "Hey Wannon-chan. Seen
Heero?"
Wannon-chan: "Nein papa…"
Duo: "Uh…I don't speak German…was it German?!"
Wannon-chan: "Yup. I just said 'No,
dad' in German"
Duo: "I am not your father!"
Quatre: "Who's your daddy?"
Wannon-chan: ::Seductively:: "You are, Quatre…"
::Quatre faints::
Wufei: "What's wrong with Quatre??"
Duo: "He fainted when Wannon told him he was her 'daddy'"
::Wufei gets a nosebleed::
Wufei: "INJUSTICE!"
::Wannon giggles::
Smeegee-chan: "The hell is this, Wannon?! Quit it!"
Wannon-chan: "Neho! Make me!"
Smeegee-chan: "I can't! you're writing this, not me!"
Wannon-chan: "So I'm having an imaginary conversation with myself,
while posing as other people…is that so wrong?!"
Everyone: "YES!"
Wannon-chan: "Oh nuts…well, this little girly is mucho upsetto
now. Methinks I'll go beddie-byes."
Duo: "HEERO! I WANNA…::Ahem::…TALK
TO YOU!"
Heero: "Hn,"
::Heero drags Duo by braid to conveniently placed bedroom::
Trowa: "Quatre…"
Quatre: "Say no more!"
::Trowa and Quatre rush to the next conveniently-placed bedroom::
Wufei: "INJUSTICE!"
Treize: "Oh, Draaa~gonnn…"
Wannon-chan: "Waagh! This is going to the gutter, fast! Run, Wannon,
RUN!!"
::Wannon-chan runs::
END (No, really, it is!!)