I Tried - Chapter 5

TIME WARP

"Reno! Mail!" Padre walked to the stairway and looked up it. He listened for Reno's door to open, then walked back to the kitchen table. Pouring himself some coffee, he sat and waited for Reno's always elegant entrance. It had been over six years now, since Reno was brought to the small church. The boy had grown substantially, standing at a little over five feet and holding a black belt from Mariah's teaching. He was no longer a little terror in Padre's mind. No, not a little terror at all. Now Reno was a Holy terror. The kitchen door swung open and Reno leaned sleepily in the door way. "Do you know what time it is Reno?" Padre asked.

"Too fuck'n early" responded the boy as he sat across from Padre. A glare from the bald man made Reno clear his throat. "You have such a charm for waking a body in the morning." He looked over at the coffee pot and began to make his way over to it. "Well? You want to know so ask so we can get it over with." Reno said as he poured his coffee.

"For one thing it is noon. For another you never have told me what you do when you stay out till 2am. Why would you start now? Most likely whatever you do is not legal."

"For someone who didn't seem to mind the electric bill being paid last month you sure preach about the way I get the money." He sipped the black coffee and surveyed the pastor. "You said that I had mail? Is it from Teef?"

Padre sat looking uncertainly at Reno. The boy was right, when they needed a bill paid he usually came though, and he never did anything in his home as far as Padre could see. Truly, the pastor had no right to criticize the means since he benefited directly from the ends. "You know I don't like you hanging out with those Fallen members. Ever since that started two years ago you haven't been coming home at a good hour, you don't have any respect."

"If I didn't have respect, I wouldn't come back now would I?" Reno snapped.

Defeated, Padre got up to go to the coffee pot again. "I think you do half the things you do just to spite us."

"I'll hear the sermon tonight, Padre. Let me have my mail, I gotta get going."

Padre simply pointed to the table. "Where are you off to?"

Reno downed the last of his coffee and snatched the letter off the table. "None ya." The boy then darted out the door.

Padre held his head in his hands. "Of course, it never is my business, is it Reno?"

He opened the letter from Tifa in the abandoned library in sector three. The lights still worked -oddly enough- on the third floor. Reno thought that it had something to do with being connected to the support pillars for the plate. He settled down at a desk to read.

Hey Re,

How have you been? You still fighting with Padre? Maybe he'd lay off if you would tell him what you did? Delivery is not like killing people or prostitution after all. How's Mariah? You said last week that she seems to be tired a lot. Master was worried about her. He says that she can't work much now. What's wrong with her? Thanks for helping me out with that boy issue. You are right, if he likes me then he'll do something. I know that I am talking into thin air here as usual, but you could stay with master Zangan. I miss you, it would be great to have my best friend here. Oh well, I will see you and Mariah in about two weeks. Love ya

Teef

Reno smiled. He took out the old pen from under the desk and wrote back:

Teef

Hey I have my health, and that is something so they tell me. Mar swears that she is Okay, but I don't know. Padre never could stand me, you know that. I don't blame the guy, but the only thing keeping me there is Mar and the fact that Padre is too nice to kick me to the curb yet. He just might kick me out if I told him I was running drugs for a local gang. But it pays the bills, that isn't as easy as it used to be. I would love to take a shot at that Shinra guy. Only kidding! I can't leave here Teef, as much as I would love to. They need me to help pay the bills, you know that. I hope that I will hear from you before the next tournament. Miss ya too! Maybe I can swing out early or stay later then usual for the tournament. Love ya

Re

Tifa really was Reno's best friend, she was the only person that knew him better then he did. He knew things about her she wouldn't tell anyone else, from that first kiss, to the spiky haired blond kid- Cloud wasn't it?- that she thought was cute. She didn't judge him or preach to him. She simply cared. Reno needed that. Although she had said more then once that he shouldn't go out and party with the gang members, after all he wasn't in and he was only twelve. Reno never did listen well.

Her life was much different then his, despite their strong friendship. Tifa worried about homework, Reno worried about someone stabbing or shooting him. He still wasn't old enough for the Don's men to leave him alone either. Although the last time he dealt with them he got a really good kick in and knocked one of them out. They were more respectful of his space after that.

Tifa didn't have bills to pay, people to take care of. Even though he was told he shouldn't, Reno couldn't just leave the people that saved his life to be evicted or worse. So, Reno played with the big boys because he worked with the big boys. He was perfectly fine with that.

Reno jumped up when he heard the door behind him slam shut. He pocketed his letter and slid behind a bookshelf. Less then thirty seconds later another boy- slightly older then Reno and sporting a Mohawk- stood at the desk. He had a "V" tattooed on the back of his neck. Reno flipped out his most recent purchase, a butterfly knife and silently stalked forward. When he was about a foot away from the other boy, Reno brought his foot to the back of the other's knee. This toppled him forward, and made his head slam against the desk. Reno then pushed on the guy's head and poked the tip of his "V" with his blade. "You need to be more alert buddy," Reno hissed. "How can I help ya?"

"Shiva! Wolf, stop that shit man!" The other boy wiggled "get that knife outta my neck! You know it's me, Viper!" Reno laughed humorlessly and stepped back. Viper turned around and looked indignantly at Reno. "Wolf, I have half a mind to shoot you. You know that, kid?"

"You wouldn't live long enough to shoot me." Reno replaced the knife in his blue hoodie. He then rummaged around for an envelope.

"How old is that damn hoodie man?" Viper peered over Reno's shoulder as he was addressing the envelope. "It still blows my mind that you bothered to learn that shit. You sending a letter to that chick?"

"Her name is Tifa, for the hundredth time." Reno began to leave to building and Viper followed.

"The hot brunette right? The one with the tits? Didja fuc-" Reno whirled on his slightly older companion knocking him over onto his rear.

"No. I wouldn't sleep with her. And if you even think about it I will cut your dick off. You just like her because she's got boobs already." He waited till Viper got up and they continued out. "So do you need me to run something tonight?"

Reno sat on the hood of a car just outside of Don Corneo's mansion. Viper had given him a fairly large duffle bag outside of Fallen's headquarters. The leader of the gang was a large caramel skinned man who went by the name Bronx. He had paid Reno two packs of cigarettes and 50gil in advance. The two packs of smokes were not unusual, but the money was. It was enough to make him nervous. Reno lit another cigg and waited for a man with a black hat. I have shit to do tonight man, where is that drop?

As if on cue a man in a trench coat walked up to him. "Got a light?" The man asked.

"Match." Reno said. The plan itself was simple, two lines of code, Reno got the money and the guy got his bag, in theory. Instead this man pulled out a hand gun and pointed it at Reno's face. "Whoa man! What's the deal?"

"Give me the bag or your going to mess up my paint job." The man sneered.

Without thinking about it, Reno's hand covered the man's extended wrist and jerked it to his side. The weapon went off, leaving Reno's ear ringing. There was no time to clear his head, he grabbed the bag and ran. The man shot twice as he followed Reno into the ally. Reno ducked behind a trash can and dropped the bag. Then he climbed on top of a dumpster and jumped to a fire escape. He was almost out of reach when the man caught up with him. Instead of shooting, the man tackled Reno to the ground. Reno kicked out causing the man to let go of him and the gun. He then rolled onto his back and jumped to his feet. Wasting no time, he brought his heel down on the back of the man's head, knocking him out. And I didn't want to take that last self defense class...

"Son of a bitch! Bronx owes my ass." Reno went though the mans pockets and was rewarded with cigarettes, a zippo, two hundred gil and a new gun. Curiosity then got the better of him and he looked into the duffel bag. The young man's mouth hung open at what he saw. About a pound of heroin, and pot along with weapons that he had never even heard of before. Reno dug around in the bag more before he decided to go back to see Bronx. This was more then worth killing someone over. Reno had never been asked to carry so much before. "When I get a hold of him....."

"Goddamnit kid!" Bronx backed up away from Reno, a bruise growing on his cheek. "You come at me again and I am gonna cap ya."

Reno crossed his arms over his thin chest and snorted.

Bronx smiled. "All right, look, I'm gonna level with you. I want you in. This wasn't as much a set up as a test okay? I had to see if you were as good as people around here seem to think. You passed."

"Who said that I would agree?" Reno asked smugly.

"I know that the Red Wolf wouldn't turn down this chance. I need someone to take over this operation for me in a few years. Unless you just want to be a messenger boy your whole life. That is not gonna feed yo little church mice forever ya know."

Reno sneered at the man. It was no secret that the money Reno made rarely went to him. It went to Padre and Mariah, their bills were his bills. Looking out for them was looking out for himself. No one else seemed to see it that way. He rolled his shoulders, Bronx had him. "Well put." Reno extended his hand to Bronx. "Guess I'm in."

Bronx snapped his fingers. About fifteen guys walked around Reno. "You will be in about half an hour."