Once More, With Feeling... – Chapter 33: Little Education

Summary: Reno has a mission … and it's one he's certainly not going to do halfway.

Author: Illusor Meaneld

Rated T: for Descriptive violence and injuries, No Adult Situations, No Cussing.

Disclaimer: I did not create, and do not own the characters from Final Fantasy 7, They are owned by Square-Enix, and I am simply borrowing them for my own (and hopefully your) enjoyment.

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Reno casually pulled his acquired car into the parking space in front of his apartment. He twisted in his seat to grin at his partner, noting the way the young blond was meticulously cleaning the grease from his fingers with a napkin.

"We're here yo! Welcome ta yer new permanent abode!"

He grinned when Cloud chuckled softly, Reno had to admit that he loved Cloud's quiet laughter, it was never mocking, never irritated, and it was never too difficult to coax it from the young blond.

Reno was still smiling when he popped the trunk, fetching Cloud's Turk uniform and weapons before the over-eager Zack could get his hands in the way. He let the taller, raven-haired youth grab the rest of Cloud's belongings, it was true that the Mako enhancements made Zack physically stronger; Reno was not in the least above capitalizing on that.

Cloud made it to the door first, unburdened as he was, and unlocked the door for the other two. Reno silently congratulated himself on his own foresight in giving the blond a set of his apartment keys. Not that Reno was in any way overburdened, but the fact that Cloud was already comfortable using them was a point in favor of him possibly joining the Turks.

Reno sauntered inside when Cloud held the door open, nodding briefly to the blond as he passed, he took a few deliberate paces before turning around and spreading his arms wide, his gaze on Zack who had been following behind him.

"This is Cloud'n my place." The red-head grinned cheekily, "Since yer a friend'a Cloudy's too, ya can visit when he says so."

Cloud made another quietly amused sound behind him, and Zack grinned,

"Thanks for letting me come over! I'll try not to wreck the place."

Reno nodded with mock severity and gestured for the other boy to enter. "Cloud's room is down the hall on the right yo! Ya can put all'a his stuff in there… feel free to sort it out'n all, He's already got dressers an' stuff… way better than tha' monkish crap they have in the Cadet Dorms."

Zack snickered, and started off down the hallway cheerfully, "I'll put your stuff away Spiky, no worries!" Gazing after the raven-haired teen, Reno had to admit he was pretty okay for a SOLDIER.

As the young swordsman disappeared into Cloud's room, Reno turned to regard the blond, "How come he gets ta call ya funky nicknames an' I don't?"

Up went Cloud's eyebrow, in that drily skeptical expression Reno always seemed to be on the receiving end of. "Because Zack uses them as terms of endearment, you use them in an attempt to get a rise out of me."

Well, he couldn't deny that… so Reno simply shrugged, Sharp as the Masamune, He mused as he gazed at the blond for a few seconds, Once he heard the faint sounds of shuffling in his partner's bedroom, and he was certain the SOLDIER 2nd wouldn't be able to hear them, he grabbed Cloud's uninjured shoulder and looked the blond firmly in the eye.

"A'right Cloud, Give it to me straight now… How the Abyss could four stupid jealous lil' Cadets beat the daylights outta ya?"

"Well, they're not actually that stupid,…" Cloud began, and Reno shook him forcibly, "I said give it ta me STRAIGHT. I know better'n'at, you shoulda been able to take 'em!"

Cloud gazed back at Reno just as intently, the humor fading from his bright blue eyes. The red-head hadn't had the opportunity to appreciate the full weight of Cloud's gaze, and for a moment it made him want to cringe, sending a cold shiver up his spine. It was the same kind of feeling he got from Sephiroth, or Veld. Just when Reno started considering backing off, Cloud sighed, and his gaze dropped.

"I went easy on them."

And there was no guilt or regret in his tone, Reno's eyes narrowed, his hand unconsciously tightening on Cloud's shoulder,

"What'd possess ya to do THAT?"

Cloud's gaze flicked up, calm, and collected once more, "I did not want to maim or kill them Reno, they're just boys."

"Well they sure weren' gonna give ya tha same courtesy." Reno growled, "Ya keep sayin' they're jus' boys… well So're you! an' they deserve ta be kicked out! Why'd ya protect 'em?" Cloud sighed again, but this time a small smile tugged at his lips, Reno felt his own lips twist in anger,

"I meant what I said in the hearing Reno." When Reno snarled, he felt the weighted gaze again, effectively pinning him to his place, "LISTEN to me," The blond insisted, and Reno felt reluctant to disobey the order, "They are boys, teenagers like you and Zack, … I know they got out of line, but they came here to find their dreams, They have the potential to do a lot with their lives, I'd rather give them the chance to succeed or fail on their own merits. I COULD have had them kicked out, but then they'd be resentful, they'd have a hard time getting a good job, heck, they might even join some rebel faction against Shinra or something, but instead I let it slide, and now they're grateful, at least most of them, for the opportunity. They'll remember me and Shinra in a more positive light, no matter what happens." Reno stared at him, once again floored by the strangely mature thoughts that seemed to just spill from the diminutive blond's mouth. Cloud smiled again, and grabbed the hand Reno had placed on his shoulder, squeezing it once in a comforting gesture. "In all honesty, I'd be rather surprised if anyone else besides Cyril makes it into SOLDIER." Reno blinked, his own thoughts slowly catching up to what Cloud was saying.

"Wha?" the red-head blurted, "Cyril? 'ain' that the lil' blond tha' attacked ya before? Wouldn' that be a BAD thing?"

Cloud chuckled, and Reno frowned, "If Cyril gets his act together, he'd make a great SOLDIER."

Reno heaved a heavy sigh, pulling his hand back and running his fingers through his hair, "I dunno if I agree with ya Cloud, I think it was a real stupid move… next time ya get inta a fight with a buncha 'boys' gimme a call and I'll kill 'em for ya, kay?"

Cloud laughed, shaking his head in much the same way Tseng did when Reno did something ridiculous or irresponsible.

"That is exactly why I won't be giving you a call." Cloud smirked, his eyes dancing with humor.

Reno huffed indignantly, momentarily incensed by the younger boy's nonchalance. But he reined his own thoughts in quickly, that's what makes Cloud awesome… He reminded himself, nothing fazes him.

Shaking his own head at the younger boy, Reno let a smirk twist his features, "I guess I'll jus' hafta keep a better eye on my partner then, can't letcha get inta all those kindsa trouble 'till yer a full Turk yo."

Cloud chuckled again, and patted Reno on the shoulder, "I'll do my best to stay out of trouble Reno, I'm sorry for worrying you."

Reno shrugged, "Eh, s'all forgiven," he waved off the apology, those always tended to make him a bit uncomfortable. Cloud glanced up when the door to his bedroom opened and Zack stepped out, for a moment his face slipped into one of those 'pondering' looks, that Reno always equated to the boy being 'too serious', and 'thinking too hard'. He stifled a snicker, and took a moment to glance at his watch. Immediately he frowned, it was later than he'd expected.

He glanced back up at his partner with momentary chagrin, "Yo, Cloudy… I don' mean ta ditch ya or anythin', but I gotta split… I'm runnin' late y'know? S'only halfway through the day for me, an' I still got a lotta stuff to take care of."

Cloud's blue eyes returned to Reno's face, and the boy just smiled, "I was expecting something like that. Tseng's not one for giving time off is he?"

Reno sighed dramatically, "Seriously! Guy's gotta lighten up!"

Cloud chuckled again, "Don't worry about it Reno, I'll be fine." He waved Reno towards the door, and the red-head grinned.

"Don' forget to put away your stuff according to Turk standards!" Reno said, handing Cloud his Turk-suit and weapons, he then leaned towards the blond and whispered conspiratorially in his ear, " 'Turk Standards', as in don' let that oaf over there touch 'em."

Cloud rolled his eyes and snickered softly, Reno turned and started towards the door, pausing only to glance in Zack's direction, the SOLDIER was standing there watching them curiously,

"Yo! Porcupine! … Make sure Cloudy gets his rest! He's supposed to stay in bed as much as possible."

Zack's face split into a huge grin, "Sure think Bantam! I'll keep Chocobo-head in line."

Reno blinked, Bantum? But before he could decide whether he'd just been insulted or not he heard a strange choking noise behind him. Upon glancing over his shoulder he saw Cloud, nothing-fazes-him Cloud STRIFE, with both hands clapped over his mouth, half-doubled over in muffled snickers.

"What the… BAHAMUT! What the heck's a Bantam?" Reno growled, unhappy at being outdone.

"It's…" Cloud choked again, his face turning slowly red, "It's a miniature rooster!" Apparently the look on Reno's face was enough to set him off, as Cloud suddenly burst into full-throated laughter, tears streaming down his face as he grabbed the table to steady himself,

"Fierce little miniature Roosters!" Zack corrected, Grinning triumphantly at Reno, "I got chased by one of those little suckers once, they peck HARD."

This apparently only made things worse, as Cloud slowly collapsed to the ground in mirth,

Reno scowled at Zack, but he could feel his own lips twitching, Cloud's humor was contagious… "At least I strut better yo!" He smirked, proving his point by 'strutting' exaggeratedly out the door. he briefly worried that Cloud was going to asphyxiate himself, the young blond was laughing so hard his breath's were coming in gasping wheezes.

Once the door was closed Reno allowed himself to chuckle, Point to Zack… he thought with a shake of his head, but this is just round one! I ain't even started yet. He smirked as he started up the car, racing through the Midgar traffic to try and make it back to the Shinra building on time.

One rather recklessly short car-drive later, Reno was striding quickly down the familiar Shinra hallways, generally ignoring the dense crowds getting out of lunch, and weaving around people with the ease of long-practice. He took a short-cut down a few hallways and stairs, trying to get to his destination before his tardiness would detriment his mission.

When he reached the hallway he needed, he sighed in relief, jogging down the short hall and counting the doors on his right until he found the one he wanted.

The young Turk slipped inside soundlessly, taking a quick glance around the room, his trained eye spotting nothing out-of-the-ordinary. Satisfied, he turned to the wall, flicking off the light before slipping carefully into position. Propping himself against the wall behind the particular piece of furniture he'd scouted, he was invisible from the door, Just how he wanted it.

Reno didn't have to wait long, the sound of the door opening, and several pairs of feet padding inside met his ears. Still he waited. Murmured words were exchanged by the persons entering the room, and after a second of shuffling around, the light was switched back on, and then the door closed behind them. Reno counted silently to himself as the other figures started moving around slowly, when he reached five, and was certain that anyone outside the door had left the vicinity, he stepped out of his hiding place.

The other figures in the room paused to stare. Just as Reno had known they would. The young red-head smirked in return, and lifted his left hand to silently tap his signature Electro-Mag Rod on his shoulder.

"So all'a you Peons got off easy eh? Don't think it'll work like that twice."

The people before him sat silent for a moment, too startled by his appearance to respond. They glanced warily at the mockery of a smile twisting the Young Turk's face, until finally one of the larger ones stepped forward,

"Oh yeah? And what are YOU gonna do about it? We work for Shinra too, you'd get in trouble just as fast as we did."

Reno sneered, "You work for Shinra? You're just cannon-fodder."

"You little brat! If you think you can just stand there-" The largest boy, the ring-leader, stepped forward.

"No, YOU listen!" Reno snapped, taking a step of his own and holding his EMR steady, "Ya snotty lil' wet-diapers have no idea what you're getting into. Cloud may be a Cadet … but he's also a Turk Intern, and tha' makes him MY Partner. I don't care who you are, what family or political connections ya think you have. Ya don' get a rough up a Turk's partner and walk away from it." He glanced around at the faces before him, his lips still curled in a vicious smile,

The foremost boy scowled, Reno remembered hearing him addressed as 'Logan', behind him were his almost comically cliché lackeys, Wyatt and Fisk. "I'm not afraid of your hot-air, there isn't a thing you can do, you're just barking because your scrawny little pal got what was coming to him."

"Is that what you think?" Reno's twisted smile became suddenly predatory, "You sheltered turds haven't a clue jus' what line ya've crossed. Let me lay it to ya straight then, so you don' make this kinda mistake again. Ya mess with a Turk, ya mess with his partner, if ya mess with Cloud, ya've messed with me, an' that's somethin' any Turk would tell ya. We Turks are a family, we take care 'a Shinra first, an' our own second… and you ain' Shinra, jus'a measly lil' parasite not worthy of anythin' but being cut out an' fed to tha rats."

Reno took two more steps forward, until he was within easy arms reach of Logan, "I'm a Turk. A FULL Turk, … that means I do whatever I'm told ta do. If the boss says pick up coffee, I ask 'how much cream?', if the boss says to deliver a message, I ask 'who to?' … if my boss says kill that guy, I ask 'where should I put the body?'."

Logan was still scowling, but his face had paled noticeably, "Are you threatening us? There's no way a…a brat like you could get away with that!"

Reno chuckled darkly, "I'm a Turk, we do the dirty business of Shinra, but we also take care of our own. You messed with the wrong Cadet yo, … I'm lettin' ya off this time 'cause my boss, an' my Partner asked me to, but if you so much as sniff in his direction… I'll know about it, an' it won't matter how far you run, or how well ya hide, I'll find ya, … and my boss won't even bat an eye, he'll jus' hand me the body-bag."

The boys in the room were staring at him, with a mixture of wariness and disbelief, Reno continued to smile, Logan spat a curse and took the last step forward, "You're so full of it!" He snarled, reaching out to grab Reno's shoulder. The hand never touched him, as Reno's EMR casually snaked out, and brushed lightly against Logan's arm. The boy suddenly yelped in pain, dropping to the floor as he twitched from the electricity running through him, and still Reno's smile never wavered.

"An' jus' so ya know, that wasn' a threat, it was an education." Reno snickered, "I ain' gonna have it on low next time." He stepped over the prone boy, walking calmly through the room as the other Cadets parted before him, giving him a wide berth. "Just remember, it's a life lesson for ya… I'd hate ta see ya learn it the hard way." He said as he waved a hand behind him, his tone blatantly indicating he'd like nothing more than to 'teach them the hard way'. He stepped out the door and shut it firmly behind him, sauntering down the hall while whistling a tune under his breath.

He felt much better now, … time to see if Tseng had anything for him to do today.

As he walked to Tseng's office, his thoughts inevitably drifted back to his partner, he'd have to remember to grab something for dinner on the way home. There wasn't much more than snack-food stocked in his apartment right now, and on second thought, he might have to bring home dinner for three, no doubt Zack would stay there all day. Reno momentarily grimaced as he realized the raven-haired SOLDIER was likely to try and wheedle his way into spending the night. Well he'd just have to say something about that.

Reno was smiling again by the time he sauntered through the door to the Turk's offices. At least life as a Turk was never boring!

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