Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 14: Bruises

The executive helicopter set down in a small field just outside of town. Kalm was livelier than usual today, owing primarily to the small festival that was going on. Three days of music, theater, and other performances… somewhat high-brow for the little mining town, but Kalm seemed to be changing day by day, now that the local mako reactor was up and running. Several new businesses had opened, and there was even a burgeoning tourism industry now.

Rufus stood up as the rotors whined to a stop.

“Well? Hurry up… I don’t want to miss the beginning of Loveless.”

Tseng frowned slightly, and unclipped his harness, before sliding out of the pilot’s seat. The Shinra heir had been in a foul mood since he’d arrived to pick him up for the day’s outing, and he wasn’t entirely certain as to why. It wasn’t unusual for the teenager to be a bit moody… but Tseng himself rarely bore the brunt of his temper. The teenager had long had something soft spot for the Turk lieutenant.

To be fair, Tseng was fond of him, as well. Rufus could be cold, calculating, and occasionally even a little cruel. But so much of that was superficial. He was surprisingly personable… even generous… if you could get past the protective shell. Few people seemed inclined to try, however, including some of the other Turks.

In fact, had Reno not been arrested late night, and subsequently needed to be disciplined, he would have brought him along on this assignment… if only to give Rufus the opportunity to make a better impression on his new rookie.

Rufus was already marching off in the direction of town and the Turk had to hurry to catch up or be left behind altogether. The boy was on a mission today.

“Sir… The performance doesn’t start for another twenty minutes. There’s no need to rush… and, as I believe I have mentioned on numerous occasions, it’s very difficult to protect you if you insist on distancing yourself from me. Please stay close by.”

“I wouldn’t have even brought you if Father weren’t so stupidly overprotective,” he muttered, “It’s Kalm, for Ramuh’s sake. I hardly think anything terrible is going to happen to me here. I don’t need a babysitter… and don’t for one second think I don’t know that’s what all of you Turks refer to this as! I’m nearly nineteen years old, not nine!”

‘You certainly wouldn’t know it from the way you’re acting today…’ Tseng thought to himself, though he knew better than to voice such an opinion.

“Are you armed, sir?” he said instead. The blonde boy paused in his bid for the town’s main street, and turned back, looking slightly uncertain.

“Well… no,” he admitted.

“Did you at least remember to bring your PHS with you this time?”

Rufus’ hand went to his pocket, and he frowned.

“… No.”

“And in the, admittedly unlikely, event that something should happen while you’re here… just what would you do to ensure your safety?”

The future vice president glowered and folded his arms over his chest.

“I suppose I’d simply sit back and be kidnapped or shot or ransomed…” he shouted, “… seeing as I’m utterly helpless, apparently!”

Tseng sighed and shook his head. “You’re far from helpless, Rufus… but you refuse to plan ahead for the possibility of trouble. That’s why your father insists on an escort. He came very close to losing you once. He doesn’t want to go through that again.”

Rufus snorted in contempt and turned on his heel, starting toward the festivities again. Tseng shook his head. He certainly understood the boy’s desire to have a bit more freedom… but he didn’t want to put Rufus at risk any more than his father did. He genuinely liked the Shinra heir, and what’s more, he had sworn to keep him safe.

“And who will be taking over your babysitting duty now that you’ve brought that… that… filthy little slum rat… into the company?! After all, I assume you don’t dare leave him to his own devices for long.”

Tseng blinked in surprise as he fell into step behind the young man. Was Rufus… jealous?

If so, it was his own fault, really. He’d been overly permissive with Rufus for years, his professional and personal relationships with the young man blurring to the point that it was hard to tell anymore where one ended and the other began.

He exhaled slowly and resisted the urge to groan aloud. It was going to be a long day…

---

“Come on, Rookie! Move your ass! Move, move, move!”

Reno would have responded… but at the moment, his lungs felt like they were about to burst. He reached up and gripped the ledge, hauling himself painfully onto the upper platform. He stayed there, panting, on his knees.

“Geez… This is pathetic. I really woulda thought you’d be in better shape!” Kai said.

“… Fuck… you…” the redhead managed.

“Aww… Sorry, but you’re a little young for me,” she said, grinning widely. She patted him on the head. “Okay, ready for the next section? Let’s go!”

Reno raised his head and stared at her incredulously. She had to be kidding. The woman had just dragged him though an obstacle course consisting of running, jumping, crawling, and now climbing. What the fuck else could she possibly throw at him?

“… I’m… gonna… die…” he panted.

“Die later. Right now, you need to ride this zipline back to the ground and get through the last part of the gauntlet, taking as few hits as possible.” She reached down, hoisting him upwards by the back of his sweatshirt. “Up we go… and then down we go!” she laughed.

Kai was a fucking sadist. That was all there was too it. No normal person enjoyed seeing someone suffer like this. Reno shakily reached up and grasped the handle that hung from a thin wire leading down some fifty feet to the floor below. And, to make things worse, he was starting to feel a little woozy… He wasn’t sure if it was from the shot earlier – though it didn’t seem to be bothering his taskmaster – or from hunger. His money was on the latter. Breakfast felt like it had been a lifetime ago.

When he stole a quick look at the large clock on the far wall, he discovered it was nearly one in the afternoon. They’d been at it for hours. His stomach gave a demanding growl at the realization.

“You gotta get down if you want to eat, Rookie!”

The redhead glanced back over his shoulder glaring at her, and lifted his feet off the platform, leaving him dangling from the zipline. His weight began pulling him forward almost immediately, and before he knew it, he was traveling far faster than he’d realized the damn thing would be carrying him. The end of the line was approaching rapidly… and he had no idea how he was supposed to stop.

A moment later, it didn’t really matter. He slammed into the padded post at the end of the drop. The impact knocked the wind out of him, and he fell backwards onto the floor. Several seconds later, Kai landed next to him on the mat with a soft thud.

“… You’re supposed to let go before you hit the pole, Rookie,” she said, laughing softly.

“Now you tell me…” he coughed. She nudged him with her foot.

“Get up… you still gotta finish before you can have lunch! And remember… try not to get hit!”

The redhead staggered to his feet and stumbled forward, into a long channel lined by tall wooden walls. As he started forward, he wondered just what it was that he was supposed to avoid being hit by. The place was empty.

A loud fwoomp from off to his right answered the question for him, and Reno had to throw himself to the ground to get out of the way of the incoming projectile. A ball about the size of his fist struck the opposite wall and bounced off before rolling across the floor. He quickly got up, and ran for the end.

Fwoomp, fwoomp, fwoomp.

Three more balls fired in quick succession. He managed to dodge the first two, but the third was too close. It smacked into his hip.

“Ow! Son of a bitch!” he swore. Those things fucking hurt! Another ball hit him in the ribs as he was recovering from his shock, and his eyes widened. They were coming faster! There was no way in hell he was going to be able to avoid all of them. In a panic, he protected his head as best he could with his arms and made a desperate run for it, being pelted the entire way.

Two more struck his hip in roughly the same spot, adding insult to injury. Another connected with his shoulder. Two more hit squarely in his lower back, fired from behind him. But he was almost there… just a few more steps…

A stinging pain in his left ankle sent him tumbling as yet another of the rubber balls bounced off of him. And as soon as he was down, they seemed to attack with a vengeance, pummeling him on the floor. He finally had to crawl the last six feet to safety or risk being pulverized. Kai was waiting for him.

“That was absolutely terrible,” she sighed, kneeling down beside him. “Well… we’ll just have to try again after lunch!”

“… Oh, dear Ifrit, please kill me!” Reno moaned, “Just kill me now!”

---

By the time Tseng and Rufus returned, it was nearly five. Far later than Tseng had expected to be gone for a simple play, but the young man had insisted on exploring the other offerings at the festival… and then stopping for lunch… and then catching an unscheduled performance of a string quartet in the main square. By mid-afternoon, the Turk lieutenant was all but convinced that Rufus planned to keep him there as long as he possibly could. It was only the reminder that it was Thursday, and thus his father was expecting him to join him for dinner this evening, that pulled him away from the performances.

“I trust you enjoyed your trip, sir?” he asked as they disembarked.

“Hmm? Oh… yes, it was very… pleasant,” he replied. They slipped into the elevator, and Rufus pressed the button for his father’s office. Tseng shook his head.

“Despite the general consensus among my subordinates… I can’t read minds. If you’re not going to tell me what’s on yours, then I’m afraid there’s very little I can do to rectify it.”

“There is nothing on my mind,” Rufus shot back, glaring. The elevator opened at the presidential reception area and the younger man stepped out.

That was about the least convincing lie Rufus had every told, and he was fairly certain he knew it. Still… where Rufus was concerned, he’d always found that it was better to let him open up in his own time rather than push him. Besides… though a mind reader he was not, Rufus hadn’t exactly been subtle earlier. He had at least an idea of what was bothering him.

Tseng had been his personal security for years, at the request of his father. It was rare that anyone else was assigned to Rufus’ detail, even when Tseng had had to juggle that duty with assisting in the training of new Turks. He had a feeling that Rufus realized that Reno was a little different than the others, even if he didn’t fully understand the significance of a First Rookie.

“If you say so, sir,” Tseng replied, “Good night.”

Rufus gave a faint nod of acknowledgment, but didn’t otherwise reply, as the doors slide shut and the elevator carried him down to Turk Headquarters.

Speaking of Reno…

Perhaps it had been just a little vindictive of him to assign him to Kai this morning… but he suspected that his point, by now, had been thoroughly made. Breaking the rules resulted in punishment. And Tseng was not going to go easy on his rookie.

As the doors opened again on fifty-eight, Headquarters seemed surprisingly quiet. It didn’t last.

“Hey, Tseng! Where the hell have you been all day?” a familiar voice queried. The senior Turk turned to his right and spotted Kai approaching from the direction of the lounge.

“Rufus was enjoying himself. It was rather difficult to get him to leave. How did training go?”

“Uh… Great! Just tops!” she replied, less than convincingly. She stretched her arms above her head and feigned a yawn. “Well, I am just beat. Reno’s waitin’ for ya in the lounge. See you in the morning!”

Tseng watched her go somewhat suspiciously before making his way to his rookie. He pushed open the door… only to find the room a little crowded.

“Tseng is gonna murder her, yeh know…”

“Ha! ‘Course he is, cousin mine… Why’dyeh think she took off runnin’ ‘fore he got back?” Sato replied, clapping Saya on the back with a laugh.

“… Uh oh… Speak ‘o the devil…”

Tseng frowned as he stepped into the room properly. “What’s going on?”

Sato snickered. “Oh… nothin’, really. Just… ah… Kai sorta… tenderized… yer rookie for yeh.” he said, stepping aside. “Ran the wee thing through the gauntlet. Twice. He, uh… Well, from what she told us he did do slightly better the second time.”

Tseng darted forward in concern, only to come to a very abrupt halt at the sight that greeted him.

“Reno…” he sighed. Saya was right. He was going to murder Kai. He’d told her to challenge the redhead. Not torture him. Reno sat up, holding an ice pack against a large purple welt on his cheek, and winced.

“… Can we go home now?” he asked, pleadingly.

“Yes. We can,” Tseng replied. He glanced over at Saya. “Should Kai arrive before me tomorrow morning, inform her that I would like a word with her.”

“Should I clear all the weapons outta yer office, too, while I’m at it?” Saya asked, chuckling. Tseng snorted softly.

“Feel free. If you really think I can’t take her down unarmed, you clearly haven’t been paying attention during training,” he replied, looping an arm around Reno’s waist and helping him to his feet. He frowned as the teenager flinched slightly at the contact. His frown only deepened as he realized that the redhead was limping slightly. He opened his mouth to question the twins farther, but was quickly cut off.

“He’s just a wee bit bruised, is all,” Saya assured him. “Nothin’ too damagin’.”

“For Kai’s sake, that had better be the case.”

With that, he escorted the rookie out of the lounge and down the hall, and shortly after, they were headed downstairs. Reno leaned heavily against him for support… though it seemed to be due more to exhaustion than injury. At least Tseng hoped so.

“Perhaps we should pay a visit to –”

He’d been about to say ‘Medical’… but before he could make the suggestion, the doors opened on Nine, and the two Turks unexpectedly came face to face with Dr. Ward herself, apparently on her way home. It took her less than half a second to recognize an injured patient.

“TSENG ITSUDAKE! WHAT HAVE YEH DONE TO THAT POOR BOY?!” she demanded, and the Turk lieutenant visibly cringed.

~end chapter 14~