Chapter 4: Interlude

Disclaimer: I don't own Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII or their characters, only my plot and my homemade characters.

I generally hate churches, but when Cloud would come to pay his respect to Aerith, I would go with him quietly. If this was important to him, I could shut my freakin' trap for a little while.

"Thanks for coming, Reno."

I shrugged carelessly while I watched the smoke from my cigarette spiral upward. At least he let me smoke in here.

"I know you hate churches," he continued.

"I don't hate churches, yo," I lied. He didn't believe me, of course.

"Don't lie in a church."

I puffed some smoke for a minute before I spoke again.

"I love you," I stated. I could feel his eyes staring at my back in surprise. "You said not to lie in churches," I added.

"Reno, I-"

When Cloud didn't finish, I turned to look at him and ended up staring straight at the bloody tip of Masamune. I looked up to see Cloud's dead eyes and a smirking Sephiroth.

"My mother's legacy will live on," he said, "not Hojo's. That baby will finish my work!"

Sephiroth pulled Masamune from Cloud's heart and I watched in horror as something moved under the skin of his stomach. A tiny hand broke through the skin and I heard a baby's cry before my own scream drowned out all noise. Strong arms grabbed me and I fought as hard as I could. I needed to save Cloud, dammit!

"Reno, wake up!"

Huh? Rude?

"Quit kicking, dammit!"

Elena?

I opened my eyes and saw Rude, Elena, and Tseng holding me down in a hospital bed. A nurse was standing over me with a needle in her hand.

"If you fucking treasure your life, bitch, get that shit away from me!" I hissed venomously.

Tseng nodded to her and she backed away.

"Reno, are you awake?" questioned Tseng as he let go of me.

I took a deep breath and thought better of smarting off to him.

"Yeah, I'm back."

Rude and Elena let go of me, but I could read the worry on their faces.

The room smelt strongly of caffeine and medicine and the light was too bright. It didn't seem to hurt my eyes but it just bothered me.

"Turn off the lights, Rude. They're bugging me."

My partner shared a look with Tseng and then complied. As we were cast into darkness, I was bothered by the fact that I could see my fellow Turks letting their eyes adjust.

"So what's happened since I've been out? And how long was I out?"

"Twelve hours," replied Tseng while staring at my glowing eyes. I swallowed thickly but allowed Tseng to continue. "After you passed out, Rude and Elena rushed you and Cloud to the best Shinra hospital. The doctors have been running tests on you to ascertain what exactly was done to you."

I glared at him.

"I'm tired of being a fucking play thing for doctors! I've had enough poking and testing to last the rest of my damn life! You want to know what they did to me? I'll tell ya free of charge! I am or was hooked to some experimental drug, then I was pumped full of Mako and Ifrit knows what else, then I was let go!"

"They let you go?" Tseng questioned.

I remembered Argos's last warning before I answered. "Uh, yeah. Some nurse set me loose right before the building collapsed."

Tseng looked thoughtful for a moment before looking at me with all seriousness. "What else did they do to you?"

"Nothing, or at least nothing that I know of. But what I really want to know is what the hell they did to Cloud."

Tseng's face went blank. Shit, that wasn't a good sign.

"About that, Reno, why wasn't I informed about your little 'relationship' with Cloud Strife?"

I bristled at his tone.

"Because you didn't fucking need to know! I don't have to report every damn part of my life, yo! I don't ask for a report every time you fuck Elena!"

That pissed Tseng off. I clearly hit a nerve. Just as he was about to retaliate, another voice joined in.

"You may not, Reno, but I do."

My blood ran cold. I turned to see Rufus Shinra standing in the doorway with his ever clean white suit.

"Boss?"

He walked in with an air of authority that was exclusive to Shinra only.

"Reno, don't be stubborn. You know that I like to know everything about my Turks, including the juicy tidbits. I want to know where your loyalties are and who may be a stumbling block to you, therefore to me. But you already know this." I felt his cold stare center in on me. "You Turks have sworn your lives to me and I take that seriously. When you hide things from me, I question my trust in you. Now tell me everything, including the assassination attempts."

Except for Rude, the others straightened up and gave me surprised looks.

"Assassination attempts?" Tseng asked angrily.

"Ah yes, those attempts on Mr. Stryker's life must have slipped his mind when he was writing his safety reports."

Oh. My. Fucking. Shiva. How does Rufus know this shit?! I felt trapped; I wouldn't put it past Rufus to already know about June Argos. Besides, he was right. I have no business hiding thing from my fellow Turks or my boss.

"I've been having sex with Cloud for one year, five weeks, and two days," I began.

The rest of the story just poured out of my mouth. I was expressionless; numb. It was like I was reliving the worst of the moments these past few weeks. I could feel the itchiness under my skin; I could feel the flesh and blood covering my hands. I couldn't wash the blood off! It wouldn't come off!

"Reno!"

I was shaken out of my trance by Rude. I could see his worried eyes though those fancy shades. It was unnerving to think that even the darkness had no effect on my eyesight.

"Is that all you can tell us?" Rufus asked with a strange glint in his eye.

"Boss?"

"June Argos didn't say anything else?" His voice held a strange tone, like he knew her.

"Nothing else, sir. Do you know who she is?"

Rufus stared hard at me. "What I do or do not know is classified, and as of thirteen hours ago, you lost your classified authority."

My jaw dropped and everyone else looked taken aback.

"You've disappointed me, Reno. This is your reprimand. Show me that I can trust you again, and you may get your privileges back."

With that, Rufus exited, signaling his Turks to follow. As he was going out, Rude mouthed, "Cloud's here too." Then they were all gone, and I was left with a hurt ego, a messed up mind, and a sore body. Damn, I wonder if Cloud felt the same way.

I disconnected all the IVs and wires, found my Turk suit lying on the chair (Rude must've brought it for me), and slipped out of the room. I asked a nearby nurse for Cloud's room and found it to be close to my own. As I turned the corner that lead to his room I saw Denzel and Marlene sitting on the chairs outside his room. Denzel's eyes widened when he saw me, and I heard his heart begin to race. He looked at the ground and began to fidget when I began to approach him.

"Hey kiddos," I greeted.

"Hi, Reno," Marlene whispered. She quickly looked around. "Tifa says we're not allowed to talk to you anymore." Her large brown eyes told me that she was concerned about this.

Crap, now I felt like I owed the little guys an apology, and Denzel deserved an explanation. I bet that boobs-a-lot didn't bother to explain what me and Cloud were doing, much less why. Talking from experience, I know that kids always handle things better when shit's been explained to them. Counselors won't do any good right now. Shit, who do I think I am? Dr. Phil? Oh well, the kid deserved a peace of mind. I squatted down in front of them and stared directly at Denzel; his heart pumped a little faster.

"Marlene," I whispered, "can you buy me one of those coffee-in-a-can drinks? I like it plain, dark."

I handed her the money and she gave me a surprised look.

"You want me to get it by myself?"

I just stared at her.

"Uh, yeah. I mean, you're like twelve or somethin'. You're a big girl, yo, you don't need help getting a drink."

A huge smile covered her face (she looked like she won the frickin' lottery) and she hopped off the chair and skipped away with my money to find coffee.

"Damn, does Tifa have you guys on leashes?" I asked myself aloud before turning my attention back on Denzel. "Denzel, listen, I'm sorry that your feelings are hurt or whatever because you saw me and Cloud go at it. Now that I've apologized, I think you deserve an explanation." Those blue eyes finally looked me in the eye. "Cloud and I have been seeing each other, and well, ya know, we do, um, adult stuff." His eyes never let mine, so I continued explaining in a quiet voice. "I don't mind doing adult things with Cloud, but since you're not an adult, Cloud nor I will ever try adult things on you. You don't need to worry."

I gave myself a mental pat on the back; damn, I'm good.

"B-but, you were screaming, and there was blood. Wasn't Cloud hurting you?" he whispered.

Oh, shit. How the hell do I explain sadism and masochism to a sheltered little boy?

"Uh, well, shit! Give me a minute." I took a quick pause and gathered my wits. "OK, let's try this. Sometimes there are things that only adults understand. This is one of them." Hehehe, smooth; nice save.

"Why?"

Kids and their damn "whys"!

"Uh, well, life wouldn't be any fun if you could understand everything as a kid. Even adults gotta learn something new, yo."

Denzel pondered my answer for a minute and I prayed to Shiva he would accept it.

"Will someone ever do something like that to me?"

I shook my head. "Not unless you want them to."

"I would never," he said with a frown.

"And that's ok, little guy."

Just then Marlene came skipping down the hall with my coffee.

"Here you go, Mr. Reno," she whispered.

"Thanks."

I grabbed the coffee and was about to knock on Cloud's door when the door flew open hitting me right in the nose and sending me back a few feet.

"I'm going for some air!" Cloud shouted angrily before slamming the door shut.

"Did I ever tell ya how hot you look in a hospital gown?" I asked while holding my nose. Surprisingly, it wasn't bleeding.

"Reno?" Cloud looked down at me in surprise. "Ah, shit! Are you ok?"

I frowned as I recalled the stitching on his stomach.

"Cloud, we need to talk."

Cloud noted my seriousness and nodded. We ended up in the bright backyard of the Shinra hospital where patients were taken for rehabilitation. We sat down on one of the many benches and waited for the other to speak. At first, I just sipped at my coffee, but I couldn't stand the silence. I decided to brake the silence first.

"What did they do to you, kitten?"

I hated the sound of dread, of finality in my voice. I'm not weak.

"They just mind fucked me a bit. Telling me that the child they were creating would put Sephiroth to shame and shit like that. Then they kept shooting me up with Mako and some other stuff. Then a few hours before Tifa showed up they began surgery. They cut me open and prepared my body for the artificial womb. Next thing I knew, Mrs. Franklin came in screaming that the womb and the baby were gone. Both of the doctors ran out yelling about Mrs. Argos, the nurse assigned to you."

"You were conscious?"

"They numbed the area of surgery, but they said I needed to be conscious so they could tell if something went wrong. They forgot that I've escaped crazy laboratories before. Although last time I needed Zack's help, he taught me well. I ripped out my restraints, sewed myself up, and began searching for you. Instead of finding you, Tifa found me and forced me to wait outside while they searched for you."

"So you're not…" I just couldn't say it. If someone had violated Cloud in such a way, I don't know what I would do.

"No, babe, I'm just plain old screwed up Cloud."

"Let's make love, Cloud," I asked suddenly. "Right now."

Cloud gave me a strange look. It was the first time I had ever referred to our act of lust in such a way and it bothered him and it sure as fuck bothered me too. Maybe I was asking him for a commitment and he was scared to go forward, but he could see that I needed this. I needed to know that he was ok, and that everything would be the same with us. Even I didn't completely understand it myself and loathed how sappy I sounded, I knew that doing this would be good for the both of us.

He grabbed my hand and took me to a shady area far away from everyone else. There we took our time getting undressed. There was no rush, no urgency; only the desire to be intimate. I gently pushed him down and I let my lips find his. There was no battle of dominance this time; Cloud just let me do what I needed to do. I tasted his sweet mouth like it was the first time, slowly learning every inch of it with my tongue. When the need for oxygen forced our lips apart, I trailed breathless kisses across his jaw and down his neck. I dragged my tongue across his chest to a beautiful nipple and roughly massaged it with my tongue. A shiver of anticipation ran through my body as I heard Cloud's breath quicken and as I felt his body squirm underneath me.

"C'mon kitten," I whispered huskily, "suck."

I placed my fingers against his lips and he eagerly took them into his warm mouth. I couldn't help but moan; that guy can drive me insane with his mouth alone. The hardness pressing against my stomach didn't help much either. I dipped my tongue into his belly button and gently eased them both into him. His breath hitched as he tried to relax and I began to groan in anticipation.

"Ngh, kitten, I want you, want you so bad."

His only reply was excited pants. Damn, I could have had an orgasm preparing him! He was just so damn hot! I hurried the rest of his prep as my cock throbbed painfully. I didn't even care that it was broad daylight in a public area! Hell that just made it sexier!

I gently eased my cock into him while groaning praises and other unintelligible things. Screw heaven, I'd rather be here for eternity. I had to stop myself to allow him to adjust.

"I'm ready," he gasped, and I'll be damned if he had to tell me twice.

I began a quick pace that I knew we could handle, but this time things were different. I could feel every quiver of his muscles, every gasp of breath. I could hear quiet little moans and pleas for more, and I saw little droplets of sweat travel down his defined muscles.

When I hit his prostate, oh gods I must be dreaming, but please tell me I'm not. He let out a deep moan and wrapped his legs around my waist tighter.

"Ah, Reno, again!"

I almost lost it there; I have never heard Cloud scream out my name like that! Instead, I complied. I was surprised at my fortitude; normally Cloud would outlast me, but I was doing a fucking good job. And I was fucking enjoying it.

"Mmm, ah, kitten! I fucking love your hot tight ass! C'mon baby, come for me just for me! Ungh!"

"Reno!"

It took one stroke along his length to bring Cloud to completion. He dragged his nails down my back leaving thin streaks of blood. The extra friction as he tensed proved to be too much stimulation for me. Fuck seeing stars, I saw fireworks! I saw Cloud's precious expression before everything went black.

I felt fingers run through my hair, and soft lips pressing feather light kisses across my face.

"Hmm, I should have probably warned you about the strength of an orgasm for a Mako enhanced person, babe. Sorry about that."

I opened my eyes and looked into those gorgeous blue orbs.

"How long was I out?" I mumbled. I noted that my body felt satisfied, not sore.

"About ten minutes."

I sat up and saw that Cloud was all ready dressed. I got my suit on and sat next to him.

"Thanks Cloud. I needed to unwind a little, yo."

"Yeah."

"I hope you're not going back to one word sentences."

Cloud just smiled. "Nope."

I chuckled and then pulled out a cigarette and my cheap lighter.

"Are your friends overreacting to our gayness?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Our gayness? Is that the best description you can come up with?"

"I don't need to be fucking fancy! You know what I mean, yo."

He just shook his head. "Well, they're not happy about it, but we're good enough friends that this isn't going to destroy our friendship. What about you?"

"I'm fine."

"That's not-"

"Hey, Cloud, um, I gotta get to work soon."

He looked at me incredulously. "Work? But you've just gone through hell!"

"No worries! The Mako's taken care of the drugs in my system, and besides, you know me! I'll be bored out of my mind if I'm not doing something."

"Cloud!" Tifa's voice cut in. "Where are you?"

Cloud sighed. I just glared in her direction. She was walking along the well kept sidewalk.

"Reno, you really should rest."

"Don't give me that crap, I'm sure by tomorrow morning you'll be out and about doing some dangerous shit."

"Cloud?! C'mon!"

"Tifa knows how to piss someone off," I grumbled.

"Don't be so pissy, and maybe she won't get under your skin."

There he goes again, defending her and blaming me. To be honest though, I felt a little too good about making love to him a few minutes ago and I really didn't want to ruin that feeling, so I let it blow over.

"Well, your friends are calling, kitten."

"Don't do anything stupid, Reno. You have a habit of doing that."

"Whatever."

Cloud leaned over and gave me one last peck on the lips before he stood up and left the cover of the trees and went to Tifa. As I watched them talk, I thought about the shit that could have happened to him. Yeah, I had some unfinished business.

"Time to put my Turk skills to use," I mumbled as I took another drag. "'Cause someone has royally pissed me off."

If those nutcases thought that I was just going to sit on my ass and whine about what they did to me and Cloud, they were dead wrong. It was a bit unfortunate that I lost my confidential access since that would make finding them a hell of a lot easier, but I could still do this. Just think of it like I was back to being a junior wannabe Turk. The only difference? This time, it was personal.