Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 22: A Return to Routine

By the following Monday, things were finally beginning to settle down… for the Turks, at least. Several other departments still had their hands full dealing with the damage and the casualties. The PR department, in particular, was in a panic, according to Luca.

The final verdict was not sabotage. The reactor had failed, catastrophically, when something had gone horribly wrong with the intake system. What exactly had gone wrong was still up for debate, but the techs in the reactor maintenance department were going to be working overtime for a while, trying to figure it out. In the meantime, construction crews were already clearing the rubble, and plans were being made to rebuild the destroyed reactor.

In total, twenty-seven people had been killed on the Plate, most of them reactor workers. The foreman Reno had briefly met the morning of the explosion was among them.

In the slums… well, it was hard to say. The majority of the sector’s population was concentrated in Wall Market, and the redlight district had survived the collapse intact. But there were many who lived out closer to the edge… and while most of them had escaped before the Plate had dropped, they were also much closer to the leaking reactor than those in Wall Market. There were reports of mako poisoning in the outskirts of both sectors Five and Seven, where Sector Six residents had fled. The full extent of the its effects likely wouldn’t become apparent for weeks.

But that was someone else’s problem. The Turks were back to business as usual, and for Reno, that meant spending every spare moment in training. Rude, at least, occasionally got a reprieve from the tediousness, and headed out with Tres into the slums, or Veld into some other part of the city. The redhead, though, was stuck in the building. Today was range day.

He fired off several shots in quick succession, emptying his weapon’s magazine in the general direction of the target at the far end of the range and then pressed the button to call it back towards him. He swore loudly as it approached.

“… Yeh do know that yer supposed to hit the target… right?” Saya snickered from the lane next to him.

“Oh, so that’s what I’ve been doin’ wrong…” Reno muttered sarcastically. “Here I thought I was just s’posed to shoot around it.”

She laughed and laid her own weapon – a shotgun – down and joined him.

“We’ll get yeh zeroed in sooner or later. Let’s see yeh do it again, then,” she said, taking up a position nearby to watch. Reno sent the target back down the range and reloaded. He took aim and squeezed off another five shots, one after the other. Saya shook her head and slipped behind him. “First off… yer too bloody tense,” she informed him, as her arms wrapped around him, her hands covering his own as he gripped the weapon. “Relax a wee bit, would yeh?”

‘Easy for you to say…’ the redhead thought. The sudden closeness wasn’t exactly ‘relaxing’. If anything, having her pressed against him like that was driving him to distraction. On top of that… he’d never really noticed how nice she smelled before. Reno swallowed sharply and did his best to ignore those thoughts and make himself relax.

“Second thing… yeh don’t want ta just empty the clip ‘n hope fer the best. Take yer time. Pick a point on yer target. See where yeh want the shot ta hit.”

By now, her cheek was resting softly against his own, and Reno could feel her breath gently tickling his jawline as she spoke. He had to suppress a shudder of pleasure… and silently cursed his stupid teenage body for being so fucking hyper-sensitive at the worst possible times.

Why the fuck did Saya have to be so goddamn hot?! Granted… it didn’t really take much to get him going – especially when it had been a few weeks since he’d gotten any action – but Saya was… pretty. And at the moment, she was kind of all over him.

And apparently oblivious to the state she was very quickly putting him in.

“Take it nice ‘n slow,” she continued, her voice low… almost seductive, “… and when yer ready, squeeze one off.”

By then, he wasn’t even thinking about the gun… and when it went off, he was so surprised he very nearly dropped the damn thing. Saya chuckled softly.

“There now… yeh see? All yeh need is ta learn a little patience.”

It took Reno a moment to realize that he’d somehow miraculously hit the target dead center. It took him significantly less time to realize that his pants were suddenly feeling more than a little tight. Saya grinned, apparently still unaware of the situation, and gave him a quick pat on the head before returning to her own lane.

“Yeh just keep practicin’ like that, and yeh’ll be a crackshot in no time!”

He groaned, though thankfully the sound was drowned out by Saya’s own resumed shooting. The redhead quickly secured his weapon, and called the target back, snatching it from the clips, before beating a hasty retreat to somewhere a little more private where he could deal with his treasonous body before his fellow-Turk caught on and decided he was the planet’s biggest pervert.

---

“Hey! Reno!” a voice called out to him as he was walking out of the men’s room a short time later. Reno glanced up and spotted Shay making his way towards him.

Shay was the youngest of the senior Turks… and in Reno’s opinion, it showed. He never seemed to refer to either Reno or Rude as ‘Rookie’ like the others did, and the redhead had the sneaking suspicion that it was because he still felt a bit like one of them. Slim and blonde and poised, the young man had a cultured, aristocratic appearance about him… not unlike Rufus Shinra, but considerably less stuck up and snobbish. Which really wasn’t surprising, given that – if Sato was to be believed, at any rate – the guy came from a pretty wealthy family. He grinned widely at the rookie, and paused in front of him.

“If you’re done on the range, Tseng says I get you for awhile. Ready to give the gauntlet another try?”

“Seriously? I just finally healed from last time,” the redhead muttered.

“Yeah… but you’ve had a lot more training since the last time, too. Tseng thinks you’re ready for round two. Oh, yeah! I almost forget… Kai says I’m supposed to tell you not to make lunch plans.”

Reno’s eyebrow shot up in interest. “Yeah? Why not?” he asked, and Shay’s grin widened.

“Because we’re having a little party. Remy’s back!”

The rookie’s own grin suddenly matched that of his fellow Turk.

“She is?”

Remy had been on medical leave all of last week following her injury. Veld had told them that she’d be out at least a couple more weeks, so hearing that she was already back on the job was a little bit of a shock. Shay laughed.

“Yeah… Well, on light duty, anyway. Medical won’t clear her for the field yet. Remy’s a total workaholic, though. Rumor has it she demanded to be cleared for desk duty as soon as she was out of surgery.” He paused a moment, and dropped his voice conspiratorially. “Er… just between you and me, though… I think she really just wants something to take her mind off what happened to Aaron. Especially since she was still in the hospital for the funeral. So… maybe watch what you say around her for awhile?”

It had been held just days after his death, while Midgar was still reeling. Reno’d had no idea that Aaron had had such a big family. Sisters and brothers and cousins and aunts and uncles… His mother had been there, as well, and his grandfather. So many people who’d cared about him. Including every last member of his second family… save for Remy.

It had been… hard. Even though Reno hadn’t known the man that well, seeing how many people’s lives his death had affected had been heartbreaking. And he hadn’t been able to quite put aside the nagging thought that, if it had been him, nowhere near that many people would have shown up. The thought had made him feel even worse… because it had felt incredibly selfish. He was fine. It was Aaron who was gone. But for some reason, he’d been consumed by concern for himself.

“So… yeah. Welcome back party in the conference room at noon. If you have a pizza preference, better let Kai know sooner rather than later. She’s doing the ordering.”

“Tch… you’re assumin’ that I survive long enough to eat,” Reno replied, and Shay laughed.

“Well, yeah. There is that,” he agreed. “Ready to get started?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Sorry,” Shay said, not sounding the least bit sorry at all.

---

Poke.

“Ow.”

Poke.

“Ow.”

Poke, poke, poke.

“Ow. Ow. Ow.”

Poooooooooke.

“Owwww! Goddammit! Knock it off!”

Kai giggled, and restored the ice pack to it’s original position.

“Poor baby Turkling… Gauntlet still managed to kick you in the teeth, huh?”

“… It somehow missed my teeth, actually. Amazing, considerin’ that it hit damn near everything else.”

“Oh, come on,” she laughed, as she set a stack of plates in the center of the table. “One little black eye and you’re acting like we should be calling in an ambulance?”

“I did tell you to stay low,” Shay chimed in, eliciting a fresh wave of laughter from the female Turk. Reno shot him a glare just as the door to the conference room opened.

“I see you’ve survived your third attempt at the gauntlet,” Tseng commented, “Kai… reception has your pizzas.”

“Yes! Party time!” she declared, as she leapt to her feet and rushed out of the room, presumably to go and claim the food she’d ordered. Reno tossed the ice pack aside and glanced up at his mentor and smirked.

“Yeah, I survived. And ya know what the best part of today’s gonna be?” he asked, smugly. Tseng raised an eyebrow in response. “When we go see the Doc for my required weekly molesting, and I tell her you made me do it again…”

The statement seemed to give the senior Turk pause, before he finally shook his head.

“You’ve been training for over a month now. She can hardly expect me to treat you like child forever…” he stated, decisively… though Reno was sure he heard an underlying note of uncertainty in his voice. Shay seemed to notice it, too, because he looked to be trying very hard not to laugh. Reno only shrugged in response. “… Put that ice back on your eye,” Tseng quickly added.

“Remy!” Shay suddenly called out, and the other two Turks’ attention immediately shifted to the woman standing in the doorway. She looked tired and slightly pained, but on the whole, it was a considerable improvement from the last time Reno had seen her. Her left hand was still heavily bandaged, and she treated it gingerly as she moved, as though any little movement hurt… which, given that she’d lost most of one finger and broken the other three, it probably did.

“It’s good to see you back on your feet,” Tseng said as she stepped into the room.

“It’s good to be back on me feet.” She walked over to where Reno was sitting and dropped down slightly so that her eyes were level with his. “Tseng told me you took care of me after I passed out. Thank you.”

“Uh… n-no problem,” the redhead stammered, slightly caught off guard. Remy had, pretty much from the day he’d arrived, been one of his biggest critics. It was difficult to get a civil comment from her at times… much less a thank you. He really didn’t know quite how to respond. Thankfully, he was saved from making an ass of himself by Luca, who was being tailed by Saya and Sato.

“Well, would yeh look what the cat swallowed, puked back up, ‘n dragged in…” Sato said, by way of greeting, grinning widely. Saya backhanded him in the ribs.

“Ugh… Shut up, yeh demented pain in the arse. We’re gettin’ ready ta eat.”

“Freeze,” Tseng ordered before Sato had taken more than a couple of steps into the room. The other Turk eyed him curiously, but obeyed, and a moment later, the Turk lieutenant had him against the wall, thoroughly patting him down. Sato shook his head, snickering.

“If yeh wanted ta cop a feel, yeh coulda just asked, Tseng…” he laughed. The senior Turk glared.

“If you really think I’m not expecting you to walk in here with some sort of explosive, you must truly believe me to be a fool,” Tseng shot back.

“Ah, now Tseng… Do yeh really think I’d do that ta poor Remy the moment she comes back ta us?”

Tseng snorted derisively, and continued his search… until he found a small plastic cylinder secreted away behind the other man’s belt. He spun Sato back around held it up, accusingly.

“… Heh… Oh. Right. Fergot about that’un…”

Tseng rolled his eyes and released him. His cousin viciously smacked him in the back of the head as they found seats at the table. The Turk lieutenant had no time to berate him further, as Kai returned. Rude… who somehow had been recruited into carrying the large stack of pizzas for her… made his way in behind her, followed by Tres and then Veld.

“Hmph… Tell ’em there’ll be free food, and everyone comes runnin’,” Tres chuckled.

“Includin’ yeh,” Saya teased, and the other Turk smirked in response.

“Heh… The way that one eats, I gotta come runnin’, or I don’t get shit,” he said, nodding towards the redhead. “There’s no such thing as ‘leftovers’ anymore… Seriously, Tseng. Don’t you feed the kid?”

The Wutaiian Turk chuckled. “Constantly, as a matter of fact. I honestly don’t know where he puts it all.”

“Tch… they way you guys kick my ass all the time, the least you can do is feed me,” Reno shot back, which drew a laugh from the entire room.

“Alright,” Veld said, smiling in amusement, “Enough. We’re here to welcome Remy back to the office… not take pot shots at the rookie. Besides… it’s a little too easy, don’t you think?”

---

The afternoon was more of the same, though Reno found himself unexpectedly under the watchful eye of his mentor while he and Rude took to the gym for a little weight training. Normally, Tseng tended to let him guide his own training now when specific instruction wasn’t needed. He could only assume that the senior Turk was either curious about his progress, or concerned that he’d injure himself further before his appointment with Ward. He was strongly leaning toward the latter.

At promptly four thirty, Tseng called an end to his workout, and Reno obligingly disappeared into the locker room to clean up a bit before heading downstairs, leaving Rude on his own. He and Tseng arrived in the medical suite on the ninth floor at exactly four forty-five, right on time. Ward glowered at the Turk lieutenant upon seeing the dark purple that marred the redhead’s right eye and a good portion of his cheek.

“Just how many times are yeh going ta bring him in here looking like that?” she asked crossly. Tseng glared right back at her.

“Justinia, despite his age, he is a Turk. Turks occasionally get hurt. You of all people should be aware of that. If we’re going to have this discussion every time he reports to you slightly bruised from training, I will simply have him start seeing one of the other medical staff.”

Dr. Ward didn’t budge.

“Oh, yeh think it’d be that easy, do yeh? I’m head of this department, and those are my staff, and yeh’d best not forget it. Don’t yeh go making threats, Tseng. Yeh’ll regret it,” she replied, darkly. She turned to the redhead, and smiled, her whole demeanor shifting. “Alright, my little headache. Yeh know the drill by now.”

A quick weigh-in told them that he’d dropped only a tenth of a pound this week… which was a great improvement over his previous appointments. Dr. Ward seemed almost satisfied with the change.

“Well, now… It looks like yer finally leveling out,” she stated. “I’d still like ta see yeh put on about twenty pounds from where yeh started… but I don’t think that’s going ta happen, I’m afraid.”

“Why not?” Tseng asked, curious. “… Did you find something in his bloodwork?”

The doctor snorted softly. “Just the opposite, actually. There’s not a thing wrong with him that any of the tests can pick up on.” She shook her head and gently patted the rookie’s head. “The wee thing’s just… naturally skinny. As best as I can determine, he simply burns through calories faster than most people. Bit of an overactive metabolism if yeh will.”

“Does that mean Tseng can finally stop force feeding me?” Reno groused, somewhat petulantly. Ward chuckled.

“Yes. But… I want yeh ta alter the way yeh eat, at least while yer in yer initial training and working harder than yeh would be normally. We’ll reevaluate once yer past that. Three full meals per day, no exceptions, and two smaller meals in between ta make up for the calories yer burning through during the day. And I don’t just mean junk food. Yeh can snack on sweets, too, if yeh want, but yeh need real food, preferably protein, between full meals,” she commanded, adding, “I will get yer weight back at least ta where we started if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Heh… whatever. Long as I don’t have to torture myself anymore,” the redhead said, grinning.

~end chapter 22~