Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

“… So are you gonna tell me?” Rude asked, pulling into the parking lot of Reno’s apartment complex. The redhead had been sulking the entire way home.

“Are you gonna tell Tseng?” he responded, and his fellow rookie snickered.

“That your way of asking me not to?”

“… Come on up. After the night I’ve had, I need a drink before I start in on the play by play…” the redhead said with a sigh. He shoved open the door to the truck and hopped out. Rude grinned and did the same, following him into the building. His friend was stubbornly silent as they boarded the elevator and road it up to the fifth floor, and remained so as he ushered him inside.

“You want a beer?” Reno finally asked, walking into his kitchenette and opening up the fridge.

“I want to know why I had to come bail you out of jail at eight ‘o clock on a Thursday night. Quit stalling.”

Reno extracted a bottle for himself and popped it open, downing about half of its contents and wiping his mouth on the back of his hand as he leaned back against the appliance.

“… So… you know how Kai keeps sayin’ I need to work on tailin’ people… right?”

“Yeah… It’s not really you best skill.”

“Ah, fuck you, Rude. You wanna hear this or not?” he replied, and his fellow Turk snickered loudly, “I’ve… ya know… kinda been practicing. On my own time.”

“Practicing on who?” Rude asked, curious now. The redhead shrugged.

“Just… anyone. I pick someone, follow ’em for awhile, and try not to let ’em see me.”

Rude smirked. He had a sneaking suspicion this was going to be good. He shooed his friend out of the way and opened the fridge, helping himself to the previously offered beer.

“And?”

Reno rolled his eyes. “And… tonight I decided to tail this really fuckin’ hot-as-shit brunette. Followed her for about two blocks… annnnd walked straight into her boyfriend. Who was about three times my size and not real thrilled by the idea of some skinny little punk stalkin’ his lady.”

Rude choked on the sip he’d just taken, laughing.

“You’re lucky he just had you arrested. Sounds like you could’ve ended up wrapped around a streetlight.”

“Oh, no… He didn’t call the cops. He tried to wrap me around a streetlight. Lucky for me, I was a hell of a lot faster than he was. I took off outta there like a fuckin’ chocobo with his tail feathers on fire.”

One eyebrow shot up from behind his sunglasses. “Then how’d you end up getting arrested?”

“I’m gettin’ there…” Reno replied and took another swig of his beer. “So I was runnin’ like hell down the street with this massive asshole chasin’ me, and his smokin’ hot girlfriend chasin’ him, and I knew if I didn’t shake ’em pretty quick, I was gonna be in a shitload of trouble. So I ran down an alley to the next block, doubled back, ducked into this little materia shop, ‘n waited for ’em to run past.”

“… And they saw you?”

“Nah… they were runnin’ full tilt down the block screamin’ like idiots,” the redhead said grinning. “Never saw ’em again after that.”

Rude shook his head, confused. “Then why did you get arrested?”

“Quit interruptin’ and you’ll find out,” he shot back. “So there I am… hidin’ out behind this big ass rack of materia spheres, watchin’ these lunatics run by… when the shop owner sneaks up behind me. Scares the absolute shit outta me. So… ya know… I reacted like any Turk would.”

“You shot him?” Rude teased. Reno glared at him.

“Her. And no. I took her to the floor ‘n pinned her, you fuckin’ psychopath.”

“And she had you arrested for assault.”

“No.”

“But…”

“I’m gettin’ there!” Reno reiterated. “Anyway… I’ve got this poor lady on the floor and I suddenly realize she was just tryin’ to get my attention… So I just start apologizin’ profusely, tryin’ to explain why I’m a complete asshole and askin’ if there’s anything I can do to make it up to her. She was actually real nice about it in the end… asked me to give her a hand movin’ some shit outta the back room, and we called things even. Then I left, figurin’ I’d try ‘n salvage what was left of the evening… so I thought I’d give the new fake ID Sato got for me a test run ‘n started makin’ my way over to the Phoenix Nest for a drink…”

Rude shook his head. “Well, you’re sober and you’re still in one piece… so I guess that rules out a bar fight. They figure out the ID was a fake and call the cops on you?”

“… Yeah, no. I didn’t make it to the bar,” the younger Turk replied, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. “I… was like a block away, crossin’ the street, when some asshat damn near runs me down… so I swore at him and slammed my hand down on the hood of his car. His… uh… patrol car.” Reno sighed and hung his head in shame. “I basically got arrested for jaywalkin’.”

Rude stared at him, incredulously, for a moment, and started to laugh.

He was still laughing several minutes later, after the redhead had shoved him out the door and slammed it behind him.

---

The following morning, Reno stepped off of the elevator and into the Turks’ offices, first coffee of the day in hand and already halfway consumed. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when he heard the sound of loud giggling coming from down the hall. Curious, he changed course, and headed for the source of the laughter, opening the door to the lounge.

“Mornin’…” he called out, and was vaguely confused when the giggling turned to outright laughter, as more of the room’s occupants joined in. “What?” he queried, narrowing his eyes in confusion… until he spotted the newest addition to the room’s décor. He scowled and stomped over to the far wall. “Oh, come on! Again? Goddammit, Rude… How do you keep gettin’ ahold of these?”

He reached for printout of his mugshot from last night and pulled it down, pointedly crumpling the paper and tossing it into the wastebasket.

“I think it’s your best one yet,” the bald Turk snickered, ignoring the question.

“I agree. You look particularly dangerous in this one,” Cissnei giggled, “Midgar’s most wanted jaywalker…”

“I dunno… I still like the one from when he got caught runnin’ ’round in his birthday suit after nailin’ the SOLDIER director’s daughter…” Sato opined. Reno rolled his eyes.

“Tch… yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, you assholes,” he muttered, but couldn’t help the faint chuckle that escaped his own lips. “Uh… anyone else see that yet?”

Tseng probably wouldn’t say anything, given that last night’s arrest had occurred while he was off duty and hadn’t been for anything serious… but still. The redhead didn’t like seeing that disapproving look his mentor wore every time he found out that the younger Turk had run afoul of the law again. Thankfully, Reno didn’t seem to find himself in such situations nearly as often as he used to these days.

Rude shook his head. “Just got in myself. It hasn’t been up long enough for everyone to get a good look.”

“Good,” Reno replied, “‘Cause this arrest was complete bullshit. It’s fuckin’ embarrassing.”

Sato sniggered loudly. “Are yeh tellin’ me gettin’ yer arse hauled off ta jail buck naked wasn’t?”

“Hey, ‘least that time I got laid first,” the redhead shot back.

“You’ll have to forgive me for breaking up this little party,” Remy said, poking her head into the lounge, “But Veld has requested I round everyone up for the morning briefing.”

“Oh, fer Odin’s sake,” Sato groused, “It ain’t even ten after yet. Why so bloody early?”

“You’ll have to take that up with Veld. I’m only following orders. But… If I had to guess, I’d say it has something to do with the executive Christmas party…” With that, she disappeared back into the hallway.

Sato groaned. “Yeh know what that means, don’t yeh… ‘least some ‘o us are gonna be stuck workin’ on Christmas Eve.”

“I volunteer the rookies,” Reno replied.

“Hey!” Cissnei began, before a look of realization crossed her face, “… Oh… right. I’m not a rookie anymore. Nevermind. I second that suggestion!”

The redhead laughed, and the group began to filter out of the lounge to make their way towards the conference room for the briefing.

“Takes awhile to get used to it, huh?” he snickered. Cissnei’s promotion had happened just a few weeks ago. He couldn’t fault her for momentarily forgetting her new rank. His own promotion had seemed a little surreal to him at first, too. The small group finally entered the briefing room, only to find that most of the rest of the team had beaten them there.

The talk of promotion, for whatever reason, reminded the redhead that the team was notably different from when he’d been made a full Turk. Last years’ losses, combined with the new recruits they’d added since, had given the Turks something of a fresh start. Of course there were plenty of familiar faces… Remy, Kai, and Sato… Rude and Cisseni… and of course Tseng and Veld. But there were new ones, now, too.

He didn’t like to think of them as replacements. Yeah… they’d lost four Turks a little over a year ago, but no rookie could ever replace them. They were just new additions to the family. Period. Probably would have been promoted eventually even if there hadn’t been casualties.

Sykes had been the first. Only guy Reno’d ever met that insisted on going exclusively by his last name. But, considering that his first name was Norton… he could kinda understand why. Not that anyone in their right mind would laugh at his name. Not to his face, anyway. Sykes was built like Rude… on steroids. The guy was fucking huge. Standing at over six feet tall, and hailing from a tiny village near Icicle Inn on the northern continent, Sykes was about three hundred pounds of pure muscle.

You wouldn’t have known it to see him fight, though. He had a certain grace and fluidity to his movements that had left the redhead slightly stunned during their first sparring match… resulting in him being sent flying into the wall right off the bat as a reward for his complacency. He’d stopped underestimating the rookie immediately after that. Sykes had later confessed that his mother had forced him take up something called ice dancing as a child because he’d been so big and clumsy… some kind of ballet on ice skates, as Reno understood it. Apparently the lessons had stuck.

Reno had initially expected him to be a primarily unarmed fighter, like Rude, just based on sheer strength. He was therefore rather surprised when, during their second match, the rookie had come at him with a spear.

And then there was Petra. She was from Cosmo Canyon, originally, and it showed. She was way into crystals and auras and yoga and all that new agey bullshit. She was also fucking deadly with a crossbow… which she preferred to a gun because she claimed it didn’t “throw her chakra out of alignment” the way a gun did. Whatever the fuck that meant. She was the only rookie experienced with materia, which she used to augment her weapon of choice… though Reno wasn’t entirely clear on how, exactly. She got along pretty well with Kai, which was probably most attributable to a mutual love of the outdoors, and Cissnei was fast becoming her unofficial mentor, as they were both ranged fighters who favored a somewhat more uncommon weapon.

And last but not least, was their newest edition. Reno didn’t know Liam real well yet. He’d only been promoted to the team a couple weeks ago and he was… quiet. Not shy-quiet, more… smart-quiet. He liked to assess a situation from a distance before throwing himself into it… and the kid always seemed to have a book on hand.

With a tendency to prefer an all-black wardrobe whether he was in uniform or not, bright purple streaks in his raven hair, and so many piercings Reno was a little surprised he hadn’t set off the building’s metal detectors from across the street on his first day, Liam seemed oddly… reserved. When he’d first met him, Reno had expected him to be a lot more outgoing. Which, he supposed, just proved the old adage that you can’t judge someone on appearance alone.

Though, to be fair to the guy, he was new. The redhead had been more than a little nervous and unsure of himself when he’d first started at Shinra Company, as well. It had taken him awhile to feel comfortable, so he was withholding judgment on Liam until he had a chance to really settle in. Like Kai, the rookie favored small, bladed weapons, but not so much for throwing. He was more of the get-close-and-knife-ya-in-the-back type, and his hand to hand skills were pretty fucking impressive, too.

The conversation in the room died down a moment later as Veld and Tseng joined the meeting, taking their places at the head of the table. Reno hurriedly squeezed into the seat between Rude and Cissnei, wondering what the rush was today.

“Good morning, everyone,” Veld began. “I know everyone is eager to clear the assignment board so that we can all finally enjoy a well-deserved holiday break… so I’ll make this morning’s briefing quick. I have only one item for discussion today. The executive Christmas party.”

Sato groaned loudly from his seat near the far end of the table, resulting in quiet snickers from several of the gathered Turks, and rolled eyes from Remy.

“Yes… I’m sure we all agree with that sentiment, Sato,” Veld deadpanned. “Unfortunately for us, no amount of moaning will change the fact. Apparently, President Shinra has been doing a little bragging about his most elite units. Representatives of SOLDIER, the Junon Materia Corps, and the Turks have been requested to attend as security for the event. I need four volunteers.”

No one seemed to be in any hurry to offer themselves up. Veld folded his arms over his chest.

“If no one volunteers, four will be selected at random.”

Tseng sighed softly and raised his hand. “I suppose I can save at least one of you, given that I don’t really celebrate the holiday itself to begin with.”

Liam also raised his hand. “I’ll do it,” he said, simply, and Sykes followed suit a moment later, shrugging.

“I’ve never been to a fancy executive party. I’m curious,” he offered, by way of an explanation.

Reno glanced over at Sato, who looked decidedly worried at the prospect of a random draw for the final attendee. And he knew why. Sato had been planning on going home to Mideel this year, and it meant a lot to him. He wanted to visit his cousin’s grave and see his family. As far as Reno knew, everyone else was sticking close to Midgar.

Rude seemed to be having the same thought. The redhead nudged his friend and nodded towards the senior Turk.

“Whaddya, think?” he said, quietly, “Sacrifice ourselves for Sato, or keep our heads down and hope he doesn’t get picked?”

“… We only need one more. No sense in both of us volunteering to suffer,” the other Turk replied, pulling a one gil coin from his pocket. “Heads or tails?”

“Tails.”

Rude flipped the coin into the air, and the redhead watched it as it seemed to rise and then descend in slow motion. The bald Turk caught it and slapped it down on the back of his hand, before revealing the results.

“Tch… figures. I always did have shit luck,” Reno snickered, and raised his hand, as well.

Veld nodded in approval. “Well… that was surprisingly easy. The event should be over around midnight… and I’m sure our party won’t have quite ended yet by then, so you’re more than welcome to come by and join in on the holiday binge drinking afterwards, if you’re so inclined.”

“Tch… I’m holdin’ ya to that, sir. There better still be some decent liquor left by the time I get there,” Reno replied. Veld chuckled softly.

“I’ll make a note of it,” he replied. “Dismissed.”

The group gradually began to filter out of the room, a few lingering to have a word with one of their fellow Turks, but most rushing off to take care of any remaining assignments before the office shut down for a week. Reno trailed Rude into the hallway.

“So… not goin’ home this year?” he queried. Rude shrugged and shook his head.

“Don’t see the point.”

“That bad, huh?” the redhead replied. He hadn’t gone last year, either. As far as he was aware, Rude hadn’t been home since Reno’s first Christmas as a rookie. They were fast approaching his third. Rude and his father… well… from what he’d been able to get out of his friend, their relationship wasn’t exactly the best these days. Rude didn’t like to talk about it.

“He just… doesn’t seem to want me there,” the bald Turk sighed. “I’d go if I didn’t think it’d feel like walking into a stranger’s house uninvited, but…” He trailed off with a shake of his head.

“Sorry, man… Wish I could do somethin’ for ya.”

“It is what it is,” Rude sighed. “He was never the same after Mom’s accident. Don’t think he ever will be. I think I just… remind him of her too much.” He smirked slightly and wrapped an arm around the younger Turk. “At least I’ve got family here, though, right?”

“Heh… You know it. So what’s on your agenda for today? I got a few reports that still need filin’.”

Rude eyed him with suspicion.

“Okay, maybe more than a few…” Reno amended, “But I’m gonna crank through ’em this mornin’ and after that I’m fuckin’ done. Anything ya need help with later?”

“Could use a hand after lunch, actually,” said Rude, grinning. “Kai’s going to be out of the building most of the afternoon, so she asked me to take over for her on the gauntlet. Wanna get in some last minute rookie torture with me?”

Reno snickered. “Nice holiday spirit there, pal,” he laughed, “Yeah, sure. I’ll help out.”

“I’ll come grab you for lunch, then,” Rude replied, before giving him a quick wave and heading off to see to his own work.

---

By the time Veld finally turned them loose at the end of the day, everyone was more than a little eager to get home. Even Tseng didn’t seem inclined to stay any longer than he absolutely had to. Reno sighed in relief as he followed his mentor into the elevator and hit the button for the parking deck, glad to be finished and free for awhile.

“So… got any big plans for the week? Assumin’ we survive the executive party, of course…”

Tseng chuckled and shook his head. “No, not really. I intend to simply relax through most of it. Though… I am traveling to Junon for a few days later in the week.”

Reno flashed him a knowing grin. “Guess I don’t need to ask who you’re goin’ there to see…”

The Turk lieutenant rolled his eyes as the elevator arrived at their destination. “Reno… is it really necessary to make the same insinuating comments every time I so much as mention going to visit Viridia? After nearly three years, it does begin to lose a bit of its novelty.”

“Ah, come on, boss. Lemme have my fun. You two are cute together.”

Tseng rolled his eyes a second time and continued on through the parking deck, pausing in front of a bright blue convertible. He shook his head.

“I still can’t believe you bought this thing… and in the dead of winter, no less,” he commented. “How you haven’t yet frozen to death is a mystery.”

“Hey, I got a great deal on this car… ’cause… ya know… it’s like ten below out ‘n no one in their right mind wants a convertible right now. ‘Sides… it’s not so bad if ya crank the heat way up. And just think how awesome it’ll be when the weather warms up!”

“Well… at least you finally have a reliable vehicle,” Tseng conceded. “I was beginning to think you simply preferred the trains for some Leviathan-forsaken reason. That said, though… Would you be adverse to riding in to work with me on Monday night? If past experience is anything to go by, we’ll almost certainly be expected to deliver a drunken executive or two home after the party, and frankly it’s far easier if I have someone to wrangle them while I’m driving. It would save us some time if we didn’t have to return to Company headquarters to pick up your car when we’re finished. We can simply go straight to Veld’s party…”

“Sounds good to me,” Reno replied with a shrug. “And… ya know, I could maybe drive while you keep our passengers under control, if ya want…”

“No,” Tseng deadpanned.

“Tch… you’re not seriously still holdin’ that whole grand theft auto thing against me, are ya, boss?”

Tseng chuckled and rounded his own car, opening the driver’s side door. “Of course not. I’ve long since forgiven you for that little escapade. But that doesn’t mean I’m about to turn over my keys to you… I’ve seen how you drive.”

“Oh, very funny,” Reno muttered as his mentor slipped into his car, closing the door behind him. The redhead glared and tapped on the window, raising his voice slightly to be heard through the barrier, “Ya know, if there’s anything wrong with the way I drive, it’s your fault, boss! You’re the one that taught me!”

Tseng merely smirked and gave him a quick wave before starting the engine and pulling out of his parking space.

~end chapter 1~