Author's note: Yes, I love Reno. While he plays no part in Kingdom Hearts, I have decided to use him to further the story and let you guys see what a nutjob Ansem really is. My friend believes he's a Sephiroth clone that used spray-on tan, but that's another story.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the many characters here, or anything else.
It was a normal day for Reno. He had been to the bar with his friends Elena and Rude (Tseng had an appointment). Tifa had passed out into a coma ever since he had first felt her cry a waterfall onto his shoulder, and was upstairs in his house until she recovered. He sighed, staring up at the building he worked in. He had always pictured himself as an idiot, so he didn't really try to act like anything else. When he worked for ShinRa, he killed who needed to be killed, and got done what had to be got done. All except for one thing, and that was killing Cloud and that gang.
At first he didn't know why he had held back, but then he realized at a subconscious level he approved of what Cloud and the others were doing. It isn't easy getting a sword rammed up your leg every time he met the spiky haired soldier, but it was a heck of a lot easier than being a 'defective Turk' and given to Hojo as a present. Reno shuddered at the thought. He was known as one of the 'bad guys' (Oh no!) but they could think what they wanted to. They were probably right anyhow, but Reno was just himself, so they could all get ran over by wild chocobos.
Going up the stairs in the Grand Foyer, he checked in and got to work. Reno was now a teacher. He taught the use of weapons to almost 100 students a day, and that was a lot considering how much work all these kids born in peacetime needed. The thought of being a law abiding city folk gave him the creeps, but Reno could only helplessly accept that that was exactly what he was- or...at least a lot closer than he'd ever like to be. Every once in a while he'd go out with this kid named Zidane and have some fun, though, just because he felt he needed to break out of the image of 'teacher' to keep his sanity.
Ansem was very active in his schools, even making sure that many fighting classes were in his own Presidential building complex. He'd often check in on students to see how they were doing. Personally Ansem also gave Reno the creeps, with his slate gray eyes examining every inch of everything. It reminded him of Hojo, and the long gray hair didn't really reassure him much, because Ansem did not look weak. The redheaded ex-Turk entered his classroom, already knowing the class was there.
"Heh, you're late Professor Reno!" yelled a girl happily. That was Shelby, one of his youngest students at the age of 14. Reno smiled a roguish grin, which made many of his students laugh. They all seemed really immature for a group of teens and young adults, but he had the effect on people sometimes.
"Call me Professor again, and we'll see who's late," he said. Reno insisted all his students call him by his first name, and anyone who called him Professor was as good as dead.
Shelby took out her double whip, a truly challenging weapon, and went into fighting stance. "Try me!"
The rest of the day went fast, and before he knew it, class was over. It wasn't any puny hour either; he had to spend five whole hours trapped with those crazy students. Just as he was about to descend the staircase, a friendly female voice magnified by magic echoed through the room:
"Reno, please report to President Ansem's office. I repeat..." (She repeated)
Reno blinked. It wasn't every day you get called there. As a matter of fact, the only time he had ever been up there was when he had his interview to actually get his job. After a few corridors and a spiral staircase, he reached the office. Through brass double doors was a large, airy room that was carpeted and wallpapered purple. The one wall curved out gently as was entirely made of glass, allowing Ansem to look down into the city. Ansem was currently doing just that.
"Ah, Reno," he said in his surprisingly bass voice, "Just the man I wanted to see."
Reno did his very best not to raise an eyebrow. Of course he was who Ansem had wanted to see, Ansem had just called him up here after all.
"I've been doing research for the past year or so, and I want your opinion," Ansem continued. Reno lost the battle for control of his eyebrow at that point. Him? Research?
"Maybe you should send someone else. I probably don't know much about what you've been researching," Reno said, baffled.
"Maybe..." said Ansem, still not even turning. "But I'd like you to hear what I've gathered all the same. Please, sit down." Reno shrugged and walked over to a chair. He turned it around, sat on it backwards, supported his elbows on the chair back, and gave Ansem his full attention. Sitting that way, he looked more like a cocky kid in detention than an employee speaking with his boss.
"During my stay in this citadel, I have had a lot of work to do," Ansem began. "They don't lay the full load on me of course, for no one would be able to handle every little problem in the world. But leaders of other cities seem to find joy in having a superior to turn to, so I have been their superior. This citadel is vast, and one night I found myself in a corridor I had never seen before. I knew I must have made a wrong turn, but the place intrigued me, so I kept on."
Reno wondered how long this would be. As Ansem talked, he stared out of the window, letting his mind unfocuse. Ansem's story had already woven a picture in his head.
"At the end of the passageway was a staircase, which led to a basement. I was amazed to find that such a large castle was indeed sitting on a large and open network of caverns. The caverns themselves were enough, but then I noticed the creatures that inhabited them. They were dark and mysterious, hardly the size of a cat, with glowing yellow eyes and antennae hanging over their faces. Have you ever seen such a thing on your travels?" he asked, looking at Reno suddenly.
Reno shivered slightly as that steely gaze focused on him. He could have sworn he had seen it flash red. Something about how his boss talked creeped him out even more than usual. It was an unreasonable fear, but it was a fear all the same.
"No, I've never even heard of them," he replied truthfully. Ansem seemed satisfied, and turned back to the window.
"I was caught by surprise, and jumped backwards. Unfortunately, another one was behind me, and I jumped on it. It gave no sound, but dissolved into a dusty shadow that cleared away. I marveled at that, for surely no creature could become shadow at its death. Even though it was late, I hurried back to my study to ponder over these events. Everything becomes what it once was when it dies. When we die, our bodies become dirt and soil again. When the creature died, it became shadow. Therefore the creature had to have been made from shadow, yes?" Ansem said, thankfully not looking at him that time.
"Sounds right to me," Reno replied.
"I returned to the caverns and experimented on those creatures. I was shocked to find that it had nothing inside it, not even a heart. Its body was entirely made and thriving from the darkness it became when it died. I named them the Heartless..." Ansem paused. Reno blinked again, trying to make sense of a blurry line on the horizon. It was black, and might have even been a silhouette of a forest if he hadn't known that there was no forest there. The sun was low in the sky, but there were a few hours before it set. Reno supposed it was just a trick of the glare.
"For many months I traveled or sent others to, learning that the heartless had been about for centuries before us. There were records old and lost that told of them. I found that the darkness inside them was indeed a power source, far greater than coal or Mako, or even pure Lifestream," Ansem declared. Reno noticed that he was talking faster now. The line on the horizon seemed to be getting bigger instead of going away.
"When a few people were put in with these creatures for a while, they disappeared. There had been an increase of the creatures, however. I even witnessed one of the obvious transformations. The heartless fed on others hearts. Not the physical one that keeps us all alive or the mental one that is the romantic part of our soul. No, the true heart of people is a mixture of physical and mental attributes that are what we are. When that person lost his heart, he transformed, becoming a heartless himself, while the heartless remained unchanged. When the heart of a person is consumed, he is turned into darkness. Thus, darkness must be what all of us have been born from. The physical remains are nothing more than stability since we cannot hold our forms of pure darkness as the heartless do!"
Ansem's voice was becoming exultant, and Reno was getting pretty disturbed. He had actually placed people down there to get killed or 'turned' for his own little guinea pigs? What kind of freak was this guy? The ex-Turk wanted to hit Ansem over the head, or at least get the hell of there, but he somehow knew that any movement would break Ansem out of his frenzy. Reno didn't want to think of what Ansem would do then, and it might be important to know what else he did anyway.
"I knew there had to be a way to control heartless, and after a few months of more experimenting, I made a heartless of my own. I started creating hundreds of many different kinds, my own army I could control. I found ways to alter myself, pulling me closer to darkness and ultimate power. I had found more knowledge than any man had ever known! Now I must return this city to darkness, so I may find my way to the other worlds," Ansem finished, turning his gaze back to Reno. His eyes were a definite red now, and he was grinning maliciously. He gestured towards the window.
The thin line on the horizon had become a large blot. In it Reno could just make out individual figures in that dark mass, heading towards the city. That sick son of a-
"Fantastic isn't it?" Ansem asked. "Soon my army shall wipe out this world, granting me enough power to travel to others."
"You'll kill everyone!" protested Reno angrily. Even Rufus or even Sephiroth weren't this crazy. He just couldn't believe it.
"At least half of them won't die..." corrected Ansem. Reno took his meaning, and took out his electric rod.
"You... are one sick son of a-" he began, but cut off in a small yelp of pain as Ansem sent a thick wave of air at his rod. It hit his hand like someone chucked a wrench at him, and he could hear the crack of his bone breaking. The electric rod slid useless into a corner.
"You will get to watch, Reno. You'll get to see my beautiful army hitting this town like an ocean. They will come upon this citadel last, so you'll get the full show. Have fun!"
"Those things better eat your heart too- sorry- what's left of it!" Reno growled, lunging for the President. Ansem laughed cruelly, and disappeared before Reno could even tackle him.
Reno ran to the door, which had... disappeared. Okay. He tested out the strength of the wall with a handy chair, ignoring the stabbing pain emitting from his hand. Panting slightly from his 'fun', Reno decided he'd have to try to glass. He used the chair on it as hard as he could manage. The glass didn't shatter; heck, it didn't even chip or crack.
As far as he could see, he was trapped in this room. After twenty more minutes of relentless pounding of the walls and glass with various objects (Including the chair, desk, electric rod, and a solid steel flagpole) he hadn't gained anything. The heartless army had just reached the gates of the city, and Reno paused to watch in horror.
They took down the gates with blasts of magic, darkness, and claws. Apparently some could even fly. It almost seemed toy-like from this height, with little toy soldiers coming to meet the upcoming tide of darkness they had absolutely no chance on. It was unlike any other war in history. There was no warning, only a bloodbath. The heartless didn't fight so much as swarm over the people. At most points the marketplace below looked like a malign pool of dark water. Still, almost none of the people knew until it was too late. He could clearly see the inn in which Elena, Rude, and Tifa were staying at right then.
"Elena! Rude! Get the hell out of there!" he shouted, knowing but not caring that there was absolutely no way they could hear him. They just had to know. The heartless went inside the inn, but he couldn't make out anything. Unnoticed tears rolled down his face as he yelled their names brokenly. It wasn't just them either; everyone who lived on this planet was dead. There was no hope whatsoever that they could stand up to this force, even if they had time to form a suitable resistance.
Reno was forced to watch as his city was taken within the hour. A whole continent taken in one hour, and he couldn't even be out there to die with them. Suddenly a large winged heartless flew at the window. Reno glared at it, even going as far as to make a rude sign involving his not broken hand. It hovered there, regarding him, and then used magic. The whole glass wall shattered, sending shards of glass all around. He felt the blast as well as the glass hurl into him even as he slammed into the opposite wall. And then everything faded.
End note: Even in a totally un-Reno related story, I can still get some Reno torturing in. Yay. Still no one's died, (no one we can see in detail anyway) but don't think I'm going to use that flimsy view of the end of the world. Nope, next chapter you get to see Cloud's point of view. Down in the fray.