Tseng: Why Me?
"Arigato to you as well there, Se."
I wasn't sure whether Reno meant for me to hear that remark or not; I didn't deem it worthy of a response. Sometimes I swear he goes out of his way to aggravate me to the point where my temper flares. Always and inevitably at that point my chokehold on my accent will slip, and he'll guffaw himself silly.
Prick.
His refusal to tell my about Aerith's new love interest pissed me off, yes; I don't think he really realized the depth of my affection for the girl. Not that I wanted him to. Kind of ruined my hard as nails appearance. But I digress. Reno's offer to let me accompany him during his nightly surveillance took me by surprise, but no way in hell I was going to pass it up. And because I like having the last word, I made sure to snag one of his cigarettes without saying thank you.
I knew he'd come after one of my own packs later. Maybe I'd add a mild poison to their filters.
----
Some may have questioned my decision to assign Reno to watch over Aeris. As irritating as he was and as irresponsible as he may have seemed, Reno possessed a level of level of dedication that rivalled my own. When it came to adhering to company guidelines and doing things "by the book", Reno was a stickler. He'd had the fear of disobedience instilled in him by the worst ShinRa had to offer, and it was that fear that made him so reliable.
I realized there was a reason he had asked me to join him during his surveillance; he wanted me to see something, something he couldn't – or wouldn't- tell me himself. This refusal caused some mild concern on my behalf; what surprise awaited me? Questions aside, I really did want to know if Aeris was okay. I didn't get to check in on her as much as I would have liked to.
Why was I, the leader of the Turks, so overprotective of a mere flower girl? Good question; I have yet to figure it out in its entirety. Perhaps it was finding such a beautiful baby lying next to her dead mother; Ifalna had escaped the lab a few days before, but the damage had been too great. Hojo wanted the baby, and I, being the subservient idiot I was, was in charge of bringing her back. The moment I picked her up she gurgled, curled one of those little chubby fingers around my hair, and bestowed upon me a smile brighter than the sun. And in that moment I realized I couldn't subject her to the life of a lab rat; I had to give her something better. There was a woman in the Sector Five slums named Elmyra; I knew through reputation that she was a kind and lonely woman. So in the middle of the night I knocked on her door and presented to her baby Aeris, the last of her kind. I think it was love at first sight, because Elmyra had looked at me with tears in her eyes and whispered a heartfelt "Thank you."
And so I'd managed to keep Aeris from a life I was certain would destroy her, and while growing up in the slums wasn't an ideal lifestyle, it was better than what ShinRa could offer. I kept as close watch over her while she grew up as my job would allow. This was why news of an impending boyfriend concerned me, but I allowed myself the small comfort in knowing that if he was an asshole, I had the means to ensure he could mysteriously disappear…
And then I went on surveillance with Reno. And witnessed with my own two eyes the passion and affection that seemed mutual between her and ShinRa's legendary figurehead: the great General Sephiroth.
----
It took a while for the knowledge to sink in, but when it did, I was more than worried. And so I took it upon myself one afternoon to pay the General a visit. He didn't look surprised to see me; then again, he never looks surprised. That man is the definition of stoic. It's a little unnerving sometimes, but I delivered my speech and the veiled threats that lay beneath it. I think I saw a glimmer of understanding in his eyes, because when I finished he didn't rip me a new one. Instead, he told me in a steady and determined voice that he wanted to take care of Aeris, even at the cost of leaving both ShinRa and Midgar behind. I was taken aback; apparently this was no fleeting fancy on his behalf for a pretty girl he met on the street. I told him sincerely that I hoped it didn't come to that; the look on his face told me he believed it was only a matter of time.
I was still sort of steamed about the fact that he brought Aeris to his room. There are a million other places to go, but no – let's parade the fact that he's dating Most Wanted Lab Specimen # 1 into the ShinRa building. And Reno! What the fuck was he thinking, allowing them to do that? I can't for the life of me believe no one saw them, and I can't shake this ominous feeling that someone knows. And if that's the case ….
I tried to get a hold of Reno after the day Seph and I had our chat. He never answered his phone. Where the fuck is that red headed menace when you need him?
And I couldn't help but wonder if his disappearance had something to do with our resident psychotic doctor. My ominous feeling spiralled into something much more anxious and dark.
Welcome to ShinRa. We own your soul.
A/N: Heartfelt love and thanks go to Lindz for starting this chapter. It has been added to and reworked by Sol, who was wonderful enough to be willing to give us her time.
And while we are thanking people, thank you for reading and enjoying us letting loose a bit.
