Hi! Second chapter of the series Poser Fashion here. This chapter is going to be a little more dark. I'm going to be changing the description from humor to angst or tragedy or something. I don't write humor very well, because I'm not a very funny person. Anyway, yes, I write dark fictions because that's what my mood is most of the time. I don't know where this is going, so feel free to offer comments and suggestions. Oh, and R&R!

"Damn, Reno, if I didn't know you were a guy I might hit on you." Rude grinned down at his red-headed friend as Elena put the final touches on his makeup. Indeed, the poor guy did look like quite the opposite. Reno held his head down as Elena tried to get the last touches of makeup right in the corners. "Now if we can just get her to talk like a girl, or cover up for the fact that she doesn't."

"I have an idea!"

Reno shot her a glare. "Something that doesn't have to do with de-balling me, please."

"But, that's the fun part. We get to make you sing soprano permanently!"

"NO YOU DON'T!" Reno shifted, tried to cover up his crotch, but found that he couldn't move very well in the kimono. "I do NOT want to be female permanently."

"But you would pull it off so well, Renny-chan. I mean, why would you not want to be a fabulous female? We're beautiful and we have soft skin and we're smarter than guys. What's not to love about being a girl?"

"The boobs and everything else that goes along with not having a package and not utilizing it?"

"Shut the fuck up, Rude. Girls are better than guys, and that's final." Elena frowned as Reno started to rub his eyes. "RENO! STOPIT, YOU'RE MESSING YOUR EYESHADOW UP!"

"But it's itchy and I don't like it." He pouted, lowering his head again. "I don't wanna wear makeup, and I don't wanna do this!"

"I don't give a damn. You're going to do it whether you like it or not. You're the only one who can pull it off. I mean, you are the leader of the Turks now. What's better than sacrificing yourself for your own men?"

"Saving my own ass?"

"Well, you'll get more honor for this! Think of the HONOR!"

"Screw honor. Gimme my pants back."

"Quit your whining or you'll be wearing a bra as well. I've never seen a grown man complain as much as you do, you whiny little bitch. Let's just do it and get it over with and then you can climb out of the kimono, wipe the makeup off and be a man again. If you ever were a man to start with, that is."

"Ooooh, low blow, 'Lena." Rude grinned and patted Reno on top of the head. The blue bows stood out particularly well from his teased hair. Reno looked genuinely miserable with being dressed in the get up. The sprigs of white puffy flowers on the kimono stood out, the blue of the background blending in with the mako that shone in his eyes. "Reno, stop pouting. Your lip would be dragging the ground if it was long enough. We're not going to let anything happen to you. Just know that we're going to be there and no one is going to bother you, little bro." He patted Reno again, who whimpered.

"Stop petting her. You're going to mess her hair up."

"I'M NOT A HER, GOD DAMNIT!"

Later that evening…

"Okay, here's the plan." Rude was balling his hands into fists, then unballing them to have something to do. He was taking over leadership temporarily while Reno was going to be the bait for the mission. "We plant Reno down there. Her name is now Renny, until she takes the kimono off. We're going to let Reno post as a prostitute that's looking for work, and she's going to meet up with the drugster. Before the guy snatches Renny, we're going to be sure to drop him. You're going to find out some information about where he stashes his drugs and when he buys his stock. Also try to find out who he buys them from. Understand, Elena?"

She was still messing with the bows in Reno's hair. "Yeah, I hear ya. We drop him….where?"

"We need to drop him. I don't care where you shoot him, just as long as you don't kill him. We're going for wounded here, not kill. Rufus wants him alive, remember?"

"Why're we listening to a little snot nosed brat?" Reno tried to swat Elena's hands away from his face.

"Because he's our boss, Ren. The last I checked, if we didn't do what our boss said, we would be out of a job. And that would be all we needed, because then you would be back on the streets of the slums polluting the women and I would be back in Wutai trying to drown myself in Sake."

"Doesn't sound so bad right about now, does it? I mean, in the slums I didn't have to work, didn't have to think, didn't have to take baths, didn't have to do anything but take my drugs like a happy little crack fiend and lure the girls away from their fathers."

"You're creepy, Reno."

"Well, telling the truth. Life is easier in the slums than it is working for ShinRa."

"But that's why we're working for ShinRa. Else you would be dead in the slums from a drug overdose, you crack-headed bastard."

"Bah. Excuses, excuses. Listen, are we going to do this or not?" Reno glared down at the street they were standing over. "Cuz if we aren't, then you need to get this shit off of me and get me back home where I can watch the Chocobo Races or something."

"Yeah, we're going to do this. The guy is known to come around these parts to make deals and meet pretty ladies around thirty minutes from now. We don't know when he's going to arrive precisely, so you have to be on the lookout for him. He's almost like Don Corneo, only he's supposed to be a little bit sleazier and a bit more violent."

"I didn't know anyone could get as sleazy as Corneo. Hell, I thought he was the limit of ugly, too."

"I didn't say the guy topped Corneo on the ugliness chart, I just said he was more of a scumbag."

"Well doesn't that just make sense, eh?"

"Renny, do you want me to be your pimp, or Rude?"

Reno glared at the girl, murder shining in his eyes. "I'll kill you. I swear, I'm going to kill your ass before this job is over with."

Rude chuckled. "Well, I guess Elena's going to be your pimp, since I've gotta keep a look out with the sniper rifle."

"Oh good, then I get to watch Renny up close and explain why she can't talk. And Renny-chan isn't going to talk, unless she wants a foot up her ass or a swift kick to the nuts. This job is going to be hard, and we don't need you fucking it up like you do every other one."

"I'm not going to talk to the bastard. Just get me in and out safe, that's all I ask. Then I want a bottle of Sake. Am I going to die?" He frowned and looked up at Rude, questioning.

Rude shook his head, tipping his sunglasses up to look at Reno. "No, you're not going to die. You won't even get raped, I don't think. The guy isn't into other guys, I hope. Well, I don't actually know, so we'll find out today if something doesn't go right, won't we?"

Reno paled. "Whaaaaa? What if that bastard is into guys? WHAT IF HE STEALS ME, YOU DUMBASS?" Elena started to giggle. "I don't wanna be a rape victim! Why can't you send your girlfriend if you're really thinking that I'm not going to overpower him directly?"

"Because you make better bait. I mean, you're skinnier and you're taller. You could be a model, Reno, if it wasn't for the Adam's apple."

"I hate you with a passion, you bastard."

"I know you do. Let's get into position, why don't we?"

Elena took Reno's hand and tugged him toward the end of the street. It was one of the abandoned and cracked highways that used to frequent through those parts of the slums. The crumbling concrete served as a challenge for Reno to climb down, as the kimono he had on wasn't cooperating very well with him. Elena reached up and helped Reno down as best she could, but he still almost fell flat on his face several times. "That's it. Just take it slow. Remember, we're going to look out for you, nothing's going to happen, Renny."

Reno shot her a glare. "Remember, if anything does, it'll be your ass."

Elena smiled brightly. "Not before he gets yours, rest assured." Reno groaned at the irony.

Thirty minutes later…

The rain started to stream down hard as Reno pressed his back against the brick wall. The hole in the plate above allowed the sky to peek through above the concrete and pour rain down into the slums where it was much needed. Staring up at the sky, he was reminded sharply of his younger days in the slums. It was always cold, and never a dull moment. He was always guaranteed an interesting day, simply for the fact that he was one of the more interesting people. He was even more interesting at that time. The sad glimmer that seemed to be carried in the eyes of those that had a history of drug use was present in his eyes, and as Elena watched him she almost felt bad for dressing him up the way she did. Though, he really did make a very pretty girl. The rain was soaking Rude, who was laying out on the fractured highway above them, sniper rifle at the ready. Everything was dark at the time, the unexpected clouds and precipitation catching all three members of the lethal Turks off guard.

The soft clicking of boots was heard above the rainfall as a very fat man limped out into sight. The pale and pasty features of one of the drug lords of the slums was immediately noticed by Elena. She had never seen so many scumbags until she moved to Midgar, but she figured she would've been used to the sight by then. She was wrong. The guy wore garish clothing, making loud seem like an understatement. The pink, pinstriped pants were offset by the bright orange pleather shoes that he wore on his feet. Carrying a green cane, his blazer and undershirt matched it. By no means did he look stylish, but he was immediately noticed by Rude, who trained his aim on him. He was approaching Reno and Elena at a very paced set of steps. Limp, step, step, limp. Step, step, limp, step, step. Reno shuddered as he imagined a guy like that overpowering him.

As gaudy as his get up was, the man was known as one of the most powerful men in the slums, and he had his eye set on Reno and Elena. "Good ev'nin'!"

Elena nodded to him, trying to look tough. She just managed to look very amused by his outfit. "Good afternoon! May I interest you in a purchase, my good sir?" Reno's eye almost twitched as she introduced the proposition like that.

"Hmmm… What are you lookin' to sell, purty lady?" The man moved closer, the scent of onions and screamingly loud cologne wafting around him. Reno almost gagged at the thought. "My my, if you're sellin' that purty little buttercup, she looks like she might just fit the bill of what I'ma lookin' for t'day."

Elena had to force a smile on her face. "Yes sir. This is my friend, Renny. She's looking to get some extra money here today. Uhmm, we'll take two hundred gil."

"Ah, lemme see, lemme see.." The guy moved dangerously close to Reno and stared him right in the eyes. Reno looked like a deer in the headlights as he moved back to keep the guy from touching him. He felt a genuine shudder of fear go up his spine, unlike anything that had ever gone through him before. The guy was too nice, nice like the guys that his father used to take him around. "Mighty purty face she's got on her. How ol' is she?"

"Erm, she's nineteen." Reno pulled that one off very well. Most people mistaked him to be around seventeen or eighteen anyway.

"Nice, ver' nice." He reached out and placed a thumb and forefinger around Reno's face, cupping his chin lightly in his palm. The guy's hand was sweaty and clammy, made Reno want to pull away. "Wha's her name 'gain?"

"Renny. Her name is Renny.." Elena could tell how scared Reno was. It was practically coming off of him in waves. He was unarmed and wasn't really able to fight that well in the kimono. She knew that he was defenseless should Rude miss the shot or something should go wrong. "Uhm, could I ask you about some propositions?"

The guy was still looking Reno over, brushing a thumb over his cheekbone as he listened to Elena. "Wha typa propositions, littl' lady?" The guy looked more interested in the proposition he was about to buy from Elena. He shifted and brought Reno a little closer, which caused the red-head to shift and try to pull away. He snatched him forward, though, kind of roughly. "Oooh, feisty."

"Heh, yeah. The type of proposition I'm talking about is of your normal wares."

"Oh, you want that typ'a prop. Well, I s'pose we could arrange somethin' in exchange for this pretty little spec'men."

Elena tilted her head. "Exchange? Whoa, wait… She's not for exchange."

"Honey babe, she for exchange now. I take da offer." Reno's eyes widened as the guy's hand gripped around his wrist. "You can go ta my warehouse 'n' pick up your goods. Right now, me and this littl' beaut is goin' ta play." Reno shuddered as the guy pulled him closer and ran a hand through his hair. He felt violated already, as if he was covered with slime. "An' iff'n she ain't up ta par, you won' see her 'gain, nor you ain't gonna see your stuff. Jus' a precaution from normal folk that try ta cheat me. Ya can't cheat da cheater, baby." Reno gasped as the guy gripped him tightly. He whimpered when he felt pain shoot through his body from the guy squeezing him so tightly.

Elena was panicking. Rude aimed the rifle at the guy's side, perhaps to drop him. However, he couldn't get a clear shot, Reno held protectively to the guy's middle. He was forced to watch as the guy sort of drug Reno toward the edge of the building and disappeared behind it. Elena simply freaked. Rude took off toward the edge of the concrete highway, jumping down the edge of it and landing with a thud, rifle still in hand. "Which way did he go when he rounded the corner, Elena?"

Elena shook her head and kind of stared at where they'd disappeared. "I don't know! I just… What if he gets hurt, Rude? Oh my god, he doesn't have a weapon, Rude!" She was practically freaking out, shaking her head and staring at the ground. "It's going to be my fault! I didn't mean for him to get snatched, but the guy was acting really strange, like he knew what was going on. I've never done anything like this!" She burst into tears on the spot at the thought of Reno dying. "What if the guy kills him? I never meant for this to happen, I swear."

Rude shook his head. "Don't cry over it now, Elena. You played it perfectly; the guy's just an expert at avoiding the law. We have to find Reno and find him now, else we're going to find him dead later on.

Meanwhile, Reno was struggling for all he was worth. Snatching against the guy's iron grip, the small guy didn't have a chance in the world. "Stan' still, bitch!" Reno's world spun out of control when the man's large, beefy hand flashed out and smacked him across the jaw. Blood dripped from his busted lip, the backhand making him stop struggling and kind of go along with the guy. "I got plans for you. Heh. You too purty to spoil righ' now. And if'n that girl was a Turk, I'd assume you's a Turk, too. They's been after me for a long time. ShinRa ain't got 'hold of me yet, and you's gonna be my key for them never getting' mitts on me, girly. You mighty purty to be a Turk, though. Lookin' like they'da put a guy there 'stead of a real woman." He brought Reno forward and kissed him on the neck, causing him to flinch. "Stop movin', bitch!" The second backhand knocked Reno for a flip, causing his head to swim. "Yeah, def'nite plans for you, hun." A shiver of fear ran through the lithe guy's spine as he was snatched into a rundown building, the door slamming shut behind them.