This is set before "The Visitors" and "Witness to his Last" but it's the third in the series. This gives a little more insight to a different part of Reno's life. When he joined the Turks.
Disclaimer: I own what i own, Final Fantasy does not fall under that category.
Yuffie tapped the plastic table impatiently to a tune she heard earlier that day, her brows furrowed and her eyes distant. Every now and then they would dart to the side and stare at her companion – A man with unruly crimson hair leaning back in his chair in a relaxed slouch. She was hoping he hadn't picked up on her evident worry, but, he was a Turk so that was doubtful.
"What's up babe?" He asked nonchalantly, breaking the otherwise silence. Yuffie stopped her tapping. She drew her eyes over to the man, ignoring the scars on his cheekbones, having long been used to seeing them.
"I'm waiting for the food. It's taking forever!" she lied loudly, adding a moan hoping to make her reason believable. Reno grinned.
"How many times have we met here? You know by now that the service at Gold Saucer is diabolical. Something's worrying you, you haven't tried to grope me under the table at all today." Yuffie blushed slightly. She was almost going to, to prove to him that wasn't true but it was too late. She sighed. Reno moved his head closer to hers so that they were a few inches apart.
"AVALANCHE troubling you? Did one of them see you sneak away?" He said. Yuffie broke her gaze away and looked down.
"Tifa always see's me sneak away, she think's I'm dating the guy in wonder square. They'd probably kill me if they found out it's you. Heck, they'd kill you too."
"But that's not the problem is it? Cmon babe, you can tell me." He lifted her chin up so she met his eyes again, he knew she couldn't say no to his mako enhanced puppy dog eyes.
"It's just… I'm sick of them! I swear I answer to brat now instead of Yuffie. They never give me a break! …I don't want to go back this time." This time it was Reno's time to break his gaze away. He knew where this was heading.
"Yuffie. No." Yuffie grabbed his hands, moving her head to cover the distance apart from them.
"Please Reno. Let me try for the Turks! You know I could make it, I've even beaten Cloud one on one before, I could handle it!" She pleaded.
"Babe, I don't doubt you could make it. I just don't want you to join the Turks, I don't want you to go anywhere near Shinra, except to blow it up!"
"Oh, and why's that? If you thought Shinra was so bad why did you join!" She yelled, she felt he thought she was uncapable. "I could handle it! You just don't want me to join because you think I couldn't handle it! Well you can't stop me! I could do a better job at guarding Rufus better than anyone of you Turks! You're just jealou…" She trailed off at the look on Reno's face. It showed barely concealed anger, but there was a hint of something behind them, it looked like overwhelming grief. Yet, when he spoke it was calm.
"Yuffie… Don't make the mistake of thinking I wanted to join. I never wanted to be a Turk, hell, it's in my blood. My father was a Turk, his father before him. I was born a Turk. But, I never wanted to be affiliated with Shinra at any cost. It's a power mad corporation, Yuffie, and I learned if Shinra wants you. Shinra gets you." Reno didn't want to reveal to Yuffie the entire truth of his past, she didn't need to know that, noone needed to know that. So he twisted the truth a little.
"I grew up with a nice family, mother and a father, but after an unfortunate event." Reno grimaced slightly. "I told myself I had to leave.
I lived in the slums for a while, and I found out that prez Shinra had an eye on me, my birthright an' all. So I hid myself away, willing to just get a decent, honest job and fade into the background.
Like I said though, I'm a born Turk, trouble follows me. I ended up becoming initiated into a gang, it became an easier way to live, and with my fighting skills, they wouldn't let me say no.
My gang, the Coyotes were okay, I had been in there for 6 years, unwillingly working my way up the ranks when I met Arianne. It was love at first sight! I swear we were a match made in heaven…" Reno paused to glance at Yuffie whose expression was not impressed.
"So. Where is she now?" Her tone was short, causing Reno to lift an eyebrow at her.
"Dead. But I havent got to that bit yet. Well, Arianne... I loved her more than life itself. Because of her I told the Coyotes they had to manage without me. Then I left. Over the past 6 years I had saved up monet, I blew it all on an apartment for me and Rianne. I was 17 at the time, she was 19. A few weeks later Rianne became pregnant. I was overjoyed, as any father should be. I would protect Rianne and my child with my life, which, in Shinra's eyes was a weakness. And Shinra exploited it.
Arianne was 8 months pregnant at the time, we had the baby's room all set up and everything. I came home from my job at a garage early one night. There were cars everywhere. Shinra PD were all around our apartment. Crazy with worry over Arianne I fought them to the front. I got to my front door, and, and." Reno faltered, unable to carry on for a moment. Taking a deep breath he plunged on. "There was a Turk, he had an arm around Arianne's neck and a gun to her stomach. His name was Gregson." Yuffie interrupted Reno,
"I didn't know there was a Turk called Gregson." Reno, smiled slightly, his face pained.
"You wouldn't. He didn't live beyond that night."
"Let go of her you bastard. Let go now!" Reno yelled, eyes blazing with fury. Yet, he didn't make a move towards the suited man, not with that gun pointed at Arianne and his child.
"And what if I don't? What if I decide to shoot her? What would you do?" Gregson sneered. Reno clenched his fists so hard he cut his palm and a small stream of blood dripped to the floor.
"You wouldn't live long enough to find out. I can guarantee." Gregson poked the woman, she was clearly terrified. Her face was pale and she had her hands clasped tightly around her bump.
"I highly doubt you could kill me Reno Parry. If you make a move my partner behind you will immediatley shoot your brains out." Reno moved his head slightly, there was indeed a Turk behind him, a tall Wutain man with a dot marking exiled on his face. He too had a gun, this one pointed at Reno.
"Why are you here? What has little old me done that demands two Turks making a visit? I didn't realise I was that important." Reno tried a different tactic, threats were not going to help him out any, not with two Turks around.
"We're not here to kill you. If you co-operate then there will be no deaths. However, if you do not, You, your girlfriend and your child will have brains splattering the wall. I highly suggest you co-operate, it would save us bullets." The man speaking was the Wutain, he had a rich accented voice, laced with a Midgarian tint.
"What do you want me to do?" Reno snarled, seeing no other option.
"We want you to join Turks. Like your father." The Wutain poked Reno in the back of the head.
"Yeh, and look where that got him. Bullets in the head and his wife abused and slaughtered! You must be crazy if you think I would join after that." Reno tried hard to stop his voice from choking up. Luckily his anger helped him, his voice was murderous. The man sighed.
"That incident was, regrettable. Since then Shinra has enforced a new plan so that situation never arises again." Reno narrowed his eyes and twisted his head to stare at the Wutain.
"Bit too late for that isn't it? My life is already ruined." Arianne locked eyes with him, then, with a shaky voice she mumbled.
"Reno… it might not be such a bad idea. The pay would get our baby to college and us a home on the plate. You wouldn't have to go out on drug scams anymore, I know that you still do!" Gregson sneered.
"You should listen to this bitch. She got more sense than you."Reno growled, head twisting back towards the Turk, eyes ablaze with hatred.
"Don't you dare talk about her like that! I'll kill you!" With unnatural speed he threw his arm back and snatched the gun out of the Wutain's hand, aimed in a split second and shot Gregson square in the forehead. Arianne shrieked and dove away. Reno smiled as the Wutain yelled.
"Bastard…" Then the hand came down on the back of his neck and he fell.
Reno woke slowly, he felt woozy. Worse than woozy actually. His head ached terribly and he had the nagging feeling that something was not right, in fact, it felt like something was worse than it had ever been. His eyes opened, wincing at the bright light.
He was in a white room. Plain and square, a metal bed was bolted to the corner and a thick mirror was all over one side of the wall behind him. Reno rose shakily to his feet.
"Where are they you bastards!" He yelled at the mirror. "Bring them back! Arianne! Bring her back!" He had a horrible sense of de ja vu. Like this had happened before, it felt like when his parents died…But this time he could do something about it.
"I'll join the bloody Turks! Just bring her to me!" He sank to his knees, head in hands. "Please…"
The door opened and the Wutain strode in, a smile visible on his face.
"Well, you broke sooner than I expected, pity…I could have had a lot of fun."Reno glared.
"Bite me!" he snarled, refusing to move.
"No thank you. What would you do to keep your girlfriend and child safe?" Reno knew where this was headed, it was inevitable. He was going to join the Turks or they would die."I'm not like you, you heartless bastard. I would die for them." The Wutain allowed a smile to flit across his face.
"You won't have to die for them. Join the Turks and they go free." Reno didn't give the man a verbal answer, his head nodded in grim acceptance.
"My name is Tseng Asakura. Welcome to Shinra Reno Parry."
"So…If Arianne was the only thing keeping you at Shinra and you said she died, why are you still there?" Yuffie asked quietly. Reno put his head in his hands, whispering the rest of his story.
"Me and Arianne lived ok for a while, Tseng wasn't such an ass to me after that, and I met Rude – nice guy. Anyway, Arianne gave birth to a son a month later, we named him Nathan, after my father… I loved the little guy so much. I was so happy, I had my own little family. Rude and Tseng were my friends and life was good.
Then, I met the Vice President. Rufus. He was only a few years younger than me and we had a strange resemblance to each other… I, I don't know how to say this but, Rufus? He's my brother."
Yuffie gasped in shock and almost spilt her drink over.
"Brother! That Prick? How?" Reno gave her a quick smile.
"Well, he's my half brother, on my mother's side. It's strange how I never knew, although I suppose I was only young at the time so I never questioned it."
Molly smiled lovingly in the hospital as her eldest child timidly sidled up to her newborn baby.
"This is your new brother Re, he's called Rufus." She told the red head gently. Reno seemed afraid of the baby but calmed down when he saw it shuffle slightly in it's sleep.
"Bruvva?" He asked, his mother nodded and pulled him onto the hospital bed next to her.
A few minutes later Nathan Parry stormed into the room.
"He's here, Mol. He wants the babe." He pointed at the child in Molly's arms sleeping quietly. Molly clutched him tighter.
"Not now! I can't give him away so soon, I haven't even held him long." Nathan shook his head,
"I'm sorry Mol. You knew this would happen, President Shinra said it was the only way you could even have this child… and personally I don't want his offspring growing up with our Re." Molly glared at him.
"But he's my child! And look, Reno likes him. Can't we keep him for a while?"
"You knew this was coming when you slept with him! It's your own bloody fault." Nathan was shouting, he saw his wife's troubled expression and softened his voice. "Moll… It isnt like he isnt going to be looked after, and we will be allowed to see him when he's sixteen. Just let the President take his son and we can carry on our lives."
Molly stared at the baby, before silently nodding. Nathan came towards her and took the sleeping child out of her arms. Molly whispered a silent goodbye as her husband took her second child away from her, to give to a tyrant.
"Mommy? Dada took bruv!" Reno told her, climbing up the sheets to take Rufus' place in her arms. Molly buried her face in his short fiery locks and let the tears run down.
"I know baby, I know."
"Oh my gawd." Yuffie exclaimed, "he really is your brother! How come you didn't remember that before?" Reno shook his head.
"I don't know, suppressed memories I suppose. I didn't really have much of a childhood I'd like to remember. It's too painful."
"You don't have to tell me what happened to Arianne, it's ok Re…" Yuffie told him, brown eyes locking onto blue and holding them there. Reno stared at her,
"No. It's better if I finish, I need you to know why you should not join Shinra!"
"Right, I knew that Rufus was my half brother. He still doesn't know. I didn't feel the need to tell him, he enjoyed bossing me about so much I didn't want to spoil the power complex he had.
A few weeks after I learned this, President Shinra decided he wanted to put the "Employee protection act" into order. So I knew that my family would not be slaughtered in cold blood and I be forced under duress to help someone else.
They were killed. Shinra had two police officers march into my apartment and shoot my girlfriend and child. I came home that night, expecting to find them safe and sound, instead there was a bullet in their skulls.
Noone can know what that feels like. I grabbed my own gun and prepared to shoot myself, so I could join them, but Rude and Tseng arrived in time. They held me down and told me I had to stay for Rufus' sake. I had told them you see, I finally saw sense and agreed to continue working for Shinra so I can protect my half brother. I would gladly take a bullet for him, I don't want to see anymore of my family die…"
Reno finished his tale to a stunned audience. Yuffie's eyes were wide and her face was slightly paler,
"Oh gawd Re, I never knew. I'm sorry I said the things I did earlier." Reno brushed away her apology.
"It's ok. Just promise me one thing Yuff."
"Anything."
"Don't let Shinra win. I know Rufus is in charge, but he doesn't know. Destroy the company, not him. Save the Planet." Reno grasped Yuffie's hands from across the table and stared at her with an air of seriousness Yuffie had never seen before this night.
"I promise Re, I'll stick with AVALANCHE. For you." Reno nodded his thanks and sat back.
"You want to go bet on some chocobo's before this night is over, we need some fun after that miserable story." Yuffie smiled and together they left the table and walked out the restaurant. Just as their food actually managed to arrive.
Ok.. One more left in this one shot series about Reno's final days as a Turk. Please Review and tell me what you feel.
I feel I am a bit too mean on Poor Reno…But it's not over yet!
