Title: Boy Soldier

Author: Neldluva

Fandom: FFVII

Pairings: None, or lots, depending on how you look at it.

Rating: R, NC17 in later chapters

Don't read this if you don't like: Angst, sex (of the m/m and m/f sort), foul language, underage sex, questionable consent, masturbation, voyeurism (sort of), violence, blood, drug and alcohol use, prostitution

Disclaimer: Reno and FF7-verse are definitely not mine. Please don't sue, I have negative monies. The OC's are mine, though. Don't steal.

What you can expect from the fic overall: This is my version Reno's backstory, or how he got where he was in the various FF7 games and movies. It is a long, difficult journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. But hey, that's life.

What you can expect from this chapter: Reno makes a new friend, yay! But yar, here there be trouble brewin'…

Author's note: Um … let's see. As I was writing the next few chapters, I was listening to the soundtrack to Rent a lot. So you might see influence of that. I'd just like to say that Essie is one of my favorite OCs ever.

Reno got his first gun in the summertime. He was slightly annoyed at that. Dead people don't smell good period, but they stink worst in summer, with the heat making them bloat up and the flies attack. At least in winter they're mostly frozen and the flies aren't as much trouble.

So he did most of his practice on discarded cans and bottles he set up at a distance, sighting down the sleek little gun and blowing the things to pieces. From there he moved on to practicing on the stray dogs and cats that wandered the alleys. For these, he always made sure to pick up the corpses and toss them in a trash can … at least then they wouldn't be out stinking in the street. He hoarded a few gil from every pickpocketing job he did to save up for bullets, and Bones didn't even notice.

He was just about to drop a dead cat into the trash one day when he felt someone looking at him. He lowered the animal in by its tail, narrowing his eyes and feeling for the gun in his pants.

"Don't shoot!" he heard a quiet voice say, and he turned around to see a ragged boy about his age behind some bushes. He didn't have the marks of Bones's gang, so Reno kept his fingers on his gun.

"What's your name, yo?" he asked, still cautious.

"Essie," the boy said, holding tight to his hat and looking away from Reno's eyes. "I ain't gonna hurt you, I promise, I don't even got a knife, you can search me."

Reno blinked thoughtfully – that was a wise suggestion. He stepped up, still trying to look menacing even though Essie was a few inches taller, and felt around for a weapon. He patted up and down legs, hips, arms, chest … he jumped back a little, staring in shock.

"You're a girl!" he exclaimed bluntly.

"I ain't!" Essie said, though she pulled her hat down further to hide the blush on her cheeks. "I ain't!"

"Hell you ain't! Them's tits, yo." Reno's shock was quickly changing to curiosity. "Can I see 'em?"

Essie gave him a horrified look and wrapped her arms around her chest. "No!"

"Okay, I was just asking." He stared hard at her. "Well, whadya want? You're fuckin' followin' me."

She looked down at her feet shyly. "I – your hair's real bright. I was wonderin' if you … got any food. I ain't eaten in a while."

Reno narrowed his eyes again. "You part of a gang?"

"No, I ain't. I ran out from home cuz my daddy was beatin' on me."

"You a whore?"

Essie stared at him with shock and anger. "I ain't! Never will be neither. Don't need another guy treatin' me bad. That's why I'm dressed like a boy. Why you got them marks on your face?"

"Cuz I'm part of a gang," Reno said proudly. "C'mon, I can get you some food, but it ain't gonna be too good, yo. Put your hat down so you look like a boy."

Whistling a little, Reno sauntered off down the street, trusting Essie to follow him. She was the first girl he had met since Bones had plucked him up that wasn't a whore, and the first that wouldn't let him see her tits when he asked. That added up to automatic interest, and he couldn't wait to talk to her.

So he took her to a little café he knew where the food was cheap. The other customers barely gave them a second glance – they blended in with the torn vinyl seats and stained tables. Reno pulled out a few gil, wondering how much he could afford … not enough for him to eat too, but probably enough to take the edge off for her.

"Get a cheeseburger, yo," he suggested. "It ain't gonna kill ya, at least."

"Thanks," Essie said, blushing a little and pulling her hat down more. The waitress walked by, took their order, and left with the dull clacking of her heels.

"You're real sweet," Essie continued, staring at Reno and twirling some hair around her finger. "Why're you out here? Ain't you got parents?"

"Nah, my mom and dad was wasted when I was a kid," Reno replied easily, sipping at the water. "They had it comin', though, so it ain't too bad. My old man beat on me too, yo."

"That's too bad." Essie had a sympathetic look in her brown eyes. "There a buncha kids in your gang?"

"Yeah, but no girls," Reno said firmly. "Bones don't like girls in the gang. So you can't join. You gotta be a whore, that's what girls do out here."

Essie's face hardened angrily. "I told you, I ain't gonna! I can do like you! No one's gotta know I'm a girl."

Reno frowned a little, but before he could say anything the food arrived. Essie wolfed down the burger, hardly pausing to breathe, and Reno could only watch hungrily. Watching the girl eat that burger only served to remind him that it had been a long, long time since he had last had such a meal. He let her have it all, though, and didn't even try to steal a fry.

"It ain't gonna work," Reno said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Bones ain't gonna let you in the gang, an' if he does and finds out you're a girl, he'll kill you."

Essie looked at him, serious and intent. "What else am I gonna do? Be a whore? I'd die first. But … can we still be friends?"

Reno thought about it for a moment. He wasn't big on friendship, not since Tim died, and he had a feeling this girl was headed down a worse path. But she was nice enough, so he figured what the hell. "Sure, yo," he said with a smile. "You're cool with me."

Essie smiled brightly. Reno liked that her teeth were straight.

Contrary to what Reno had expected and feared, Bones didn't immediately see through Essie's disguise. Like Reno, he assumed that the dirty little person in front of him was a boy, and he congratulated him for finding a new member for the gang. Reno was, of course, assigned to "show him the ropes," so he led Essie out for a quick lesson in pickpocketing. She had never done it before, and once she nearly got them caught, but she did well enough to pass muster. That night, after dropping off their loot with Bones, they curled up under a blanket in Reno's self-announced little corner.

They got along well enough. Essie kept her secret, hiding beneath layers of dirty clothes and that tattered hat. She wasn't very good at pickpocketing, but Reno made up for the slack. He had more than enough reputation to keep any bullies away, and when reputation didn't work he had his new gun, but even so he started teaching her to fight.

"I ain't always gonna be there," he explained to her. "If some guy's fucking with you and I ain't there, you can beat him up just as easy as me."

Which is why Reno automatically knew something was wrong when he walked into the lair one day. Essie was backed up against a wall, tears making tracks down her cheeks. Her hat had been discarded, letting her long black hair down, and three of the older boys had closed in around her.

"C'mon, girlie, show us them pretty little titties…"

"We just wanna play, yo…"

"You leave her alone!" Reno shouted, diving at one of them and tackling him to the floor. He started punching for all he was worth, but the other two plucked him up and restrained him against his struggles.

"Reno," Bones said, walking up to the fight. Reno spat blood and looked at the gang leader out of the eye that wasn't swelling shut. It was seldom he heard his real name, and he was surprised Bones remembered it. "You know she was a girl, yo?"

Reno glanced at Essie. She was sobbing loudly now, covering her face with her hands and shaking. He wanted to shout at her to get up and fight, but he didn't dare. "No, I didn't know she was a girl," he answered sullenly. Why hadn't she fought harder?

Bones looked back and forth between them, his gaze sharp. "We don't let little whores in the gang," he said, loud enough that his voice echoed. "That's all girls is good for … bein' little whores. Listen up, girl, I got a deal for you." He walked up to Essie, pulling her head back by the hair. "I'm gonna put you on the streets, and you're gonna earn me a big wad of cash. In return, I'll let you stay here. Sound good, yo?"

Essie nodded as much as she could, tears still streaking down her face. Reno wrestled his arms away from the boys who still restrained him, rolling his shoulders. He was angry … no, more than angry, furious at Essie. She had given up so easily … what had happened to the girl who had promised him she would die rather than whore? Why hadn't she fought harder? Why hadn't she bashed their heads in?

He curled up beside her that night, still letting her share the blanket but keeping his back to her. He was still so angry with her that it hurt.

"Are you mad at me, Reno?" she asked quietly.

He could hear the tears in her voice. He wanted to lie and say no, but he couldn't force himself to do it. "Yeah. Ah, fuck it, I don't care … but you coulda fought. You coulda fought harder. I thought you was gonna die rather than whore."

He heard some quiet sniffles. "I … I couldn't. I didn't wanna die. Hey, maybe it won't be so bad? At least I get to stay here with you, right?"

Reno snorted quietly and drew his end of the blanket over his face.