Hey guys! I'm on time this time! Another filler kind, but it kind of leads into a sub-plot. So forgive me.

ODST girl058 - Reno is... horny. Very sexually active guy. I never dated morons, I only dated intellectuals, so I wouldn't have any idea how I would react. Although I'm guessing I'd use the "headache" excuse a lot. Or kill him. I won't kill him, though, since Reno is not my boyfriend and I can't write a sequel with Reno dead. But Reno is attracted to vice like flies to trash.

NarcissisticRiceball - I think I failed my Beowulf test. Not that I care. That book is seriously screwed. First of all, Grendel ate about 100000 guys from Hrothgar's hall in 12 years. Second, Hrothgar didn't do anything about it. Third, there is no way Beowulf would have been able to breath that long and swim back up. He would have drowned. Anyways! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Mister Bigbucks - thanks! I always try my best, but it's obvious which chapters have been planned for a long time and which haven't. I often get inspirations from my boyfriend, who is slowly starting to resemble Rufus in his mannerisms... I really don't mind it. The cake scene that ensues is inspired from my friend, actually... I wrote it down verbatim.

Moonshine's Guide - I'm making a girl for Rufus, a nice girl who's not a b#tch, don't worry! Rufus is one of my favorite characters, although it completely eludes me how he shoots double-barrel shotguns with one hand. But then, most of FFVII defies physics and anatomy, so I guess it's one of those things.

RaspberryPolarBear - THAT JOKE is the BEST. AND it's true - most of the time. Except that I told that to my boyfriend and he looked at me with a confused look on his face and said, "I thought Eve got the breasts instead." Which means that neither gender has brains. Reno is a pervert. And he lost his virginity in a public bathroom when he was seven (j/k).

Ninja Girl Candy-Chan - As far as you read the story and enjoy it, I don't care if you take a century. I'm glad you liked the previous chapter. I usually see all the flaws in the chapter after I post them, so when people like the slumpy chapters, it encourages me a lot! I'm not Stephen King, so I have my ups and downs. I'm happy you like my stories.


Chapter 25: Underground Alliances

A nod from the white-clad man sent five dark-clad people onto the ground. The cathedral was three stories towering into the dark, rainy sky, but the Turks jumped nonetheless. And of course; if Rufus said jump, they did not even ask how high. They just jumped.

"I have urgent business to attend," Rufus said quietly through the small microphone attached to his headpiece. "I will instruct you to get me when you are finished."

The five nodded, dispersed into the darkness and the crowd. The leather-clad Turks melted into the darkness well; perhaps it was because Turks liked black, or maybe it was because of DeVir's personal choice. Reno was second-in-command, Elena was the technician, Rude was the combat leader, Tseng was the boss, but Arien had become the tactician of the group, the person who decided the minute details. Her training as the squadron leader in the Midgar Military Academy was paying off; add another bonus to her list, the fact that even Reno listened to her. Her quiet demeanor and her ability to survive defeating the odds had earned Turks' grudging respect. But then, she had been a Turk for a few years now.

Rufus watched the slender forms disappear, then turned. Pulling on a long, dark coat, he too, disappeared into the crowd.


Arien DeVir knew that she belonged in the darkness. She felt like a feline specie, prowling through the dark, her eyes probably glowing eerily in the darkness. She turned, motioned the rest to go on. She had a mission from Rufus that no other knew about, mainly because if Reno knew about it he would go ballistic and go on a killing spree.

Rufus knew the importance of having alliances, whether it was with an official company or an illegal organization. When he heard – briefly – about where Arien had been during her self-exile, he had determined that aligning himself with the gang could bring possible profits. He had asked the young Turk to return and give a possible alliance with the leader.

Arien was not sure if that was the right course. She knew instinctively that Giorno, in his youthfulness, would not say no to her. She also knew that Rufus knew that. But she also felt that she was taking advantage of his justice and sense of honor, if such thing existed in the gang organization. But her first obstacle would be to gain entrance.

She walked through the people to the deserted alley. The abandoned building was still abandoned. She went to the familiar corner, kicked off the carpet, and pulled open the trapdoor.

She even landed like a cat.

"You!"

She raised her eyebrow, her hands jammed in the long stand-collar leather coat. Her hair was sprinkled with drops of rain, and it glistened in the light. "Yes?"

"Why the hell are you here?" Ah, so someone remembered her.

"I need to see your boss," she replied honestly. "Now."

"Why?"

"Oh, not again," said the blond head, and she grinned as she saw the familiar face. Fugo's hair was still bizarre, but his eyes were sharper than ever. "Let her pass."

"Good evening," she said coolly as the young man escorted her through the doorways. Well, not exactly young; everyone except teenagers seemed to be older than her. She felt a slight disadvantage.

"Giorno is waiting for you," Fugo said, also unemotionally. "He's beyond that door."

"Did I wake him up?" She asked. The door led to the young gang leader's bedroom.

"No," said Fugo, but whispered in her ear. "But you've kept him up enough."

She looked at him. "Meaning?"

"I mean exactly what I say." Fugo winked. "Nice to have you back."

She turned on her heels and walked through the door, tossing the wet coat onto a boy nearby. She was searched thoroughly by a guard, who took all her weapons away but not without reluctance after seeing her scowl. She did not bother to tell him that she had knives in her knee-high boots. No point telling all her secrets to her stranger.

She knocked on the plain door. The doorknob rattled, and the door opened. Giorno was dressed in a simple white gown and black velvet trousers; as per usual, the front of the gown was open. His hair was still blond, and a trifle messy. He did not smile when he saw her, but merely said, "come in."

The door shut behind her.

The room was still sparsely furnished, with a bed and a desk. It was very frugal, considering that this gang controlled most of the drug flow and anything illegal within the city that the Turks did not conduct. He sat on the bed, and offered her a chair. "Please, sit."

She noticed, with interest, that the blue eyes lingered on her waistline. But the eyes he offered to her were polite, discreet.

"So," he said. "What brings you here? Certainly not employment again."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I am back to the old organization. I come here bearing an offer from Rufus Shinra."

"Rufus?" The young blond raised his own eyebrow. "Rufus Shinra?"

"Yes," she said, nodding. "I work for him. I'm a Turk, you know."

"We know that well," came back the reply. "And the offer?"

"An alliance with one of the still most powerful companies in the world," she stated flatly. "Although you control underground, you can't get above ground. Rufus can get around above ground, but not under. A mutual profit can exist; Rufus offers that he will help you when you need to get above ground, but instead you must help him when he needs the underground network."

"I thought Turks took care of that."

"We're technically above ground; we're recruitment squad."

"We all know that you are."

Arien smiled wryly. "Everyone who's in this business knows that we haven't recruited anyone in years; our assignments are specified in assassinations and doing dirty work. But we're still technically above-ground, and I'm the only one who has connections with the Passione. Rufus is starting to rebuild Shinra Company. He needs your help. And…" she waved her hand negligently. "I think you can use our help as well."

"I'll have to consider your offer," he said. "I can't decide this by myself. I'll have to consult others."

"That is fine. I'll be coming back in a week, I think. To get your answer."

"Alright." He nodded. His eyes lingered on her, beyond her, into some distance. And Arien watched in surprise as melancholy and bitterness flashed through his blue eyes. Not wanting to be there anymore, she stood up wordlessly and turned the doorknob. She had seen that expression on her own face far too many times, and it was never associated with happy memories. With a trail of black, she was gone.


Renaldo Miller was never notorious for his patience. In fact, he was hot-tempered, and tended to use his EMR a bit too often for Tseng's comfort. He was also trigger-happy, and half the population firmly believed that he had no morals and that he was a deranged psychopath, along with the popular theory that there were over 50 infants bearing Reno's DNA.

So it was no big surprise to Arien DeVir, who was his girlfriend for over 2 years now, when she returned and saw the redhead bashing everything within reach with his EMR. Bloody, mangled, gory hunks of flesh decorated the asphalt in grim red, and Reno was currently in the process of turning another corpse into a pulp.

She crossed her arms and waited behind him as he calmly finished the job and turned to search for the next victim. He caught her watching him with a bored expression on her face.

"Are you done?" Arien asked. "The others are coming to pick us up."

"Killing makes me wanna fuck," Reno complained. Arien grasped the charged EMR from his hand, and flipped it off.

"You have my permission to go screw anyone you want to, but not me," she said sternly. "Unfortunately, my job was far harder than just beating corpses into a bloody mess, and I'm dead tired. Now back off."

Reno obeyed but not before Arien registered that there was a warm pressure on her breasts. She gritted her teeth.

"Do you want me to turn you sterile right here and now? I can do that, you know."

"That's quite okay, yo." He hopped back a few feet. "Is this far enough for you?"

She laughed. "Yes."

The car ride back was silent. Reno was driving, so Elena felt that she was in mortal peril. Tseng had other things to do than talk. Rude was always silent. Arien fell asleep in the car; she leaned onto the window, sleeping.

Arien was in the middle of a dream when the tires screeched and Reno cursed so loudly that she woke up. Everyone was alert now; Arien rubbed sleep off her eyes. They were in the parking lot, which seemed quite deserted apart from rows after rows of cars. "What's wrong?"

"That," Reno pointed in front of her. From the back seat, she looked outside.

"Where's Rufus?"

"That's what's wrong," Reno repeated. "Where the hell is he?"

All of them knew that Rufus was not the kind to wander off. He was punctual, correct, meticulous. This could mean only one thing:

Trouble.

They stepped out cautiously, not making a sound. Tseng signaled them to pull out their weapons; Reno's EMR flared blue.

2,3, Tseng signaled with his fingers. Then he pointed at Rude and Arien, then to Reno, Elena, and himself. Then Tseng started to sprint to the left. Elena and Reno followed.

Tseng in the lead, Reno followed, Elena in tow. They halted when they saw a flash of white a few yards away.

"Rufus?" Elena whispered. Tseng nodded.

The three moved in.


Rufus Shinra regretted for not bringing one of the Turks along. But constant companionship tended to be cloying, and he wanted to be alone.

Big mistake.

He never recognized what fully hit him, but then, the next moment, he was falling through the air onto the ground. Sharp pain lanced through his right leg, and his other leg buckled at the sudden weight.

He pulled out his shotgun and pulled the trigger haphazardly, too blinded by pain to fully aim properly. From the sounds of it, there were more than one attacker, but at least one of them was groaning in pain.

Then black burst in on them. He felt hands grasp him and prop him up, and heard Reno whispering, "What the fuck happened, yo?"


Rufus was immediately hospitalized. Arien and Reno came to visit along with Tseng and Elena. Rufus ordered the couple that if they were to ever conceive a child again, the child – regardless of the gender – was to be named the heir to the Shinra Estate. He trusted the two to educate the child to survive through the harsh reality, and he trusted the Turks the most. Not to mention that he fully felt the implication of the attempts on his life. Although his subordinates were nearly perfect in their duties, mistakes did occur. He did not want the squabble that was going to occur when leaders died without naming the successor. He even had the documentation made there right on the spot. Arien and Reno left the room after a few hours with very complicated expressions on their faces.

Because his wounds were not that severe, he was roomed with another patient. He would have protested, but at one look at the other patient he decided against it.

The patient was a female, in her early twenties, with auburn hair and emerald green eyes. She looked slight and delicate, with the attitude of a well-bred woman with good education.

"Hello," she said quietly, a little shyly, when Rufus first came into the room on the wheeled bed. "My name is Clarissa."

"Hello, Clarissa," Rufus said coolly. And he made no more responses.

"May I ask your name?"

"Rufus," he said simply. Then he added, as if in afterthought, "Shinra."

"Oh." Clarissa's beautiful face contorted into a small smile. "You're the president of the electric company."

"That is correct."

"My father is the mayor of Junon."

Rufus remembered why the girl looked so familiar. She was there at his ceremony in Junon, so long ago, when Shinra HQ was still up and about, when the Turks were in full swing. He took a look at her again. Her reddish golden hair tumbled in slow waves about her alabaster face. She had a slightly pointy nose and a small mouth. She did not have the aggressiveness that Arien or Elena possessed.

His lips curved upwards as he slumped into the sheets.


Arien was having a handful as they celebrated Reno's birthday. He was now twenty-five years old. Unfortunately, he acted a fifth of the real age.

"What the fuck!" he yelled as he saw the slices of strawberry shortcakes – his birthday cake that Arien had baked and entrusted to Ivanna to carry it to the restaurant. Ivanna, Zen, Shiv, Elena, Rude, everyone was there, not really to celebrate the redhead's birthday but rather to have a party and drink.

"Yes, Reno?" Arien asked.

"There are 4 slices! FOUR." He glared at her. "You want me dead?"

"Isn't that enough for you?" She looked confused.

"FOUR is bad luck, yo. It's fine to pick from five! Fine to pick from three! But four is bad!"

"That's some stupid superstition," Elena pointed out.

"Yeah? Then tell me why the hell that kitten I got when I was six got his eyes scratched out by another cat and went blind! I'm telling ya, it's because it was a quadruplet, damn it!"

"What happened to the other cat?" Ivanna asked curiously.

"I punched it to death."

Ivanna paled. "I knew I shouldn't have asked."

"Reno," Shiv explained, "by logical deduction someone will have to pick from four eventually."

"Then the waitress secretly takes one away when no one's looking, damn it!" Reno was shouting now. "This place doesn't give good fuckin' services."

"That sounds wrong," Elena whispered. "Especially coming from Reno."

"Reno," Arien was saying, "don't eat it then."

"I want my friggin' birthday cake!"

Arien sighed again. Reno was acting very juvenile. One moment he could be nihilistic and kill a puppy without raising an eyebrow, the next moment he went ballistic over cake. She took a knife and sliced one of them in two.

"There," she said, taking the two half-slices and distributing it to Elena and herself, "now there's three slices. Satisfied?"

"Yes," came back the sarcastic, triumphant reply. She looked at him, and then found herself laughing. No matter how much she had to go through, Reno always made her laugh.

Perhaps that was what kept her going.