Desha's Reno of the Turks Fan Fiction

Chapter 9: Chain of Command

Tseng didn’t wait for an answer from the rookie before taking off down the hallway at a sprint. Reno hesitated a few moments, torn between obeying the order or getting a good look at what had happened. On one hand, disobeying the first order he’d received since arriving at Turk headquarters probably wasn’t the smartestidea he’d ever had. On the other… he really wanted to see what Remy was going to do to Sato.

Once Tseng had rounded the corner, the redhead took off after him, promising himself that he’d just take a quick peek and then haul ass back to the lounge as he’d been told.

He peered around the corner, following the sound of angry, raised voices, and grinned as he spotted Tseng physically restraining the young woman… who was largely ignoring the Turk second in command, in favor of shouting at the laughing Mideelian standing the the doorway of his office.

“You are a dead man, Sato!” Remy cried. He just grinned back at her.

“We’re all dyin’, sweetheart… Some of us’ll just end up in the ground quicker’n others.”

“Sato, you are not helping,” Tseng muttered. Without warning, Remy stomped down hard on his foot, and when his grip loosened slightly, jerked her arm out of his grasp and elbowed him in the gut. Tseng staggered back, and the irate Turk rushed the laughing man across the hall from her, aiming a punch at his face.

“ENOUGH!” a voice directly behind Reno thundered, causing him to jump in outright terror, and all activity suddenly froze in response. He instinctively darted out of the way, flattening himself against the wall as the new arrival stormed past him, ignoring his presence for the moment.

He was an imposing figure, with short, dark brown hair, and a clipped beard. His face was severe, and made even moreso by an old scar on his left cheek that arched from just below his eye, all the way to his chin.

“Sir…” Tseng began with a faint cough, one hand still clasped to his stomach, guarding the injury inflicted on him by Remy. The man held up a hand, silencing him.

“Put in another request with Maintenance about the damage, and make sure nothing in there is still burning. Remy and Sato. My office. Now. Tseng, I’ll speak with you about this debacle later. See to your rookie.”

With that, he herded the two feuding Turks off, towards a different office, disappearing with them through the door, which slammed angrily behind the trio. Tseng scowled and brushed past Saya, who had wisely kept out of things until the coast was clear, and approached the redhead.

“I thought I told you to wait in the lounge!”

“… I –” Reno began, only to be cut off.

“Go! And no wandering around. Onemess is enough to deal with, right now.”

Reno cringed and and did a quick about face, hurrying back in the direction of the lounge.

“Geez, Tseng… don’t go takin’ it out on the wee thing, eh? Wasn’t anya his doin’,” he heard Saya chastise the other Turk in his defense. Tseng’s reply, if there was one, was lost as the rookie quickly scurried into the lounge and shut the door behind him.

Reno exhaled slowly and made his way over the the large couch under one of the windows. He took a seat, pulling his knees to his chest. That had been stupid. Tseng had been very clear about what he’d wanted him to do, and Reno had ignored him just so he could watch the fight. And now he was in trouble for it.

The redhead groaned and buried his face in his arms, resisting the urge to repeatedly slam his head into something hard. He hadn’t been able to go three days on the Plate without fucking up. He glanced up at the clock, and noted that it was almost noon. Three days? Hell, he’d only just barely made it two, really. And he’d been asleep for half of yesterday. He groaned again, and let himself fall onto his side on the couch.

The door opened, and he glanced up just enough to spot Saya entering the room, grinning widely.

“I’m an idiot,” he stated, and she laughed.

“Ah, don’t let that little screaming fit worry yeh… Tseng’s an asshole when he’s pissed off, and that nitwit cousin of mine’s an expert at pissin’ people off. He’s not angry with yeh. He’s just angry in general.” She reached over and ruffled his hair slightly before pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Tell yeh what… how ’bout I show yeh the way ta the cafeteria? It’s dead-on lunchtime and yeh look like yeh’ve spent half yer life half-starved.”

Reno sat up, uncertainly. “… I should probably just stay right here.”

Saya snickered loudly. “Put the fear of Leviathan inta yeh already, has he, then?”

“Tch… Leviathan’s got nothin’ on Tseng.”

The other Turk laughed outright at that. “Aw… poor rookie. He really does have yeh a bit on edge doesn’t he? Well, suit yerself, then. If yeh change yer mind, I’ll be in my office fer a bit yet.”

With that, Saya slipped back out the door, leaving him on his own. Reno found himself grateful for her reassurance… but in the back of his mind still had his doubts.

---

Tseng gave the desk drawer one last blast from the fire extinguisher and slammed it shut. That Sato was a Leviathan-forsaken lunatic sometimes. Saya seemed to have gotten all of the common sense in that family. And Remy… the woman desperately needed to stop letting Sato get to her like that. If she thought Veld was going to assign her to head the Junon branch if she didn’t get that temper of hers under control – assuming Heidegger actually approved the proposal – she was going to be in for a very rude awakening.

“Well, look on the bright side. If yeh get tired of bein’ a Turk, yeh’ve got a promisin’ career in the Midgar fire department ahead of yeh!”

Tseng set the extinguisher down with an annoyed thud, and turned to face the woman. “I thought I asked you to keep him in line.”

“Aye, yeh did. And I’ve done what I can. Yeh dunna even want ta know what I talked him outta doin’ so far this week,” Saya replied, with a wide smile. “But yeh know Sato. Got his own set of priorities, that’un. Self-preservation’s not one of ’em.”

“He’s completely irresponsible.”

“Oh, lighten up, Tseng. It was just a little prank. No one got hurt,” she replied, and then paused, breaking into a wide grin. “Well… s’pose I shouldn’t say that. Looked like Remy nailed yeh pretty good there.”

Tseng glowered at her, and stalked out of the office, intending to make a call to the maintenance department about repairing the desk. And painting over the marks left on the ceiling.

“Before yeh throw yerself too deep inta obeyin’ Veld’s directive, yeh might want ta go ‘n check on yer wee rookie. Poor thing was tremblin’ like a leaf when I left him.”

Tseng bit back a groan. Reno. This was definitely not how he’d envisioned the rookie’s introduction to his teammates. And it was far from the first impression of the group he’d wanted him to have. He’d described them as a family, and that’s what they were to one another. However… he’d somehow left out ‘dysfunctional’ from the description. He could just imagine the redhead wondering what in the nine hells he’d gotten himself into by taking Tseng up on his offer.

“Oh… and this came up for yeh with the mornin’s mail. Figured yeh’d want ta give it to him yerself,” Saya added, tossing him a small box. He opened it as she withdrew, and found the new PHS he’d requisitioned for the redhead yesterday. Tseng tucked the phone into a pocket and tossed the box into the trash before making his way to the lounge.

He found Reno kneeling on the couch, peering over the back of the large piece of furniture, through the window that overlooked Sectors 4 and 5.

“Reno.”

The teenager very nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his own name, and awkwardly spun to face him, a look of surprise etched on his features. Tseng smirked slightly. Most of the team had long grown used to his stealthy comings and goings. It was refreshing to have someone who still reacted in such a manner. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the new phone.

“You’re going to need this,” the senior Turk said, offering it to him. The redhead hesitated a moment before slowly taking it from his hand. “It’s pre-programmed with the team’s numbers, so you needn’t worry about doing that yourself. As it would seem that Veld is going to be… otherwise occupied… for the time being, I think it best that you go and have some lunch in the cafeteria. We’ll continue the introductions and the tour when you get back.”

Reno looked up at him with a vaguely confused expression.

“So… I’m not in trouble?”

“For what?” Tseng asked, genuinely baffled.

“… For not listenin’ when you told me to go to the lounge ‘n wait instead of followin’ you?”

The Turk lieutenant sighed and shook his head. “No. You are not in trouble for that. And I apologize if my frustration got the better of me earlier. Sato’s behavior has been extremely… trying… lately.” The look of relief that came over his rookie’s face was rather pronounced, and Tseng couldn’t help but feel more than a little guilty about that.

Today wasn’t going at all as he’d planned.

He’d wanted so badly to impress the younger man. Both with the company’s facilities, and with the Turks themselves. Instead, the highlights had included a run-in with a petulant heir, a near-drowning, an explosion, and a brawl, culminating in Tseng’s own inexcusably harsh reaction to simple curiosity. At the rate he was going, he’d be lucky if he didn’t end up sending Reno fleeing right back down to the slums by the end of the week.

“Go on and get something to eat. Perhaps give your new friend from forty-eight a call, if you’d like some company. I would join you myself, but while you are not in trouble… judging by Veld’s tone, I’m afraid that I may be.”

---

“So Rufus Shinra really just pushed you into the pool?!” Izzy repeated, scandalized. “Just like that?”

“Heh… yeah. Great start to the day, huh?”

She giggled quietly, and Reno shoved a forkful of baked ziti into his mouth. It was a bit on the bland side, but perfectly edible. Izzy giggled again.

“Terrible, isn’t it?” she said in a hushed voice, “You’d think a company as big as Shinra could afford to hire some decent kitchen staff…”

“I’ve had worse,” the redhead shrugged. “‘Sides… I’ll eat just about anything.”

“You know, you still haven’t told me what it is you do around here…”

Reno snickered. “When I figure it out, I’ll let ya know. Right now, I’m just tryin’ not to make a complete ass of myself. Ya know… again.”

Izzy snorted in laughter. “No, come on, really. What’s your job?”

“I… uh… I’m gonna be a Turk,” he replied, feeling unusually unsure of himself just saying that. It didn’t feel yet like he had the right to call himself any such thing. He half expected her to simply laugh in his face as soon as the claim left his lips. Instead, Izzy’s eyes went wide.

“Really?!”

He nodded, and a grin spread over her face.

“So that’s why Tseng was with you when you turned up in General Affairs! I kinda wondered. You know… I’ve seen you Turks around before but I’ve never actually met one of you ’til now.”

“So how do you know who Tseng is, then?” he asked, curious.

Izzy giggled yet again. “Everyone in the secretarial pool knows who Tseng Itsudake is. That man is absolutely gorgeous. Don’t tell him or anything, but… there’s kind of a betting pool going on who can get him in bed first.”

Reno’s eyebrow rose. “Seriously?”

“Oh, yeah. A lot of the girls upstairs are completely crazy for him.”

The redhead smirked. “Yeah? You got a bet in that pool?” he teased. Izzy grinned.

“Well… to be honest, I did think about trying my luck. But, then I heard that he’s supposedly got this girlfriend over in Junon, and I just figured I’d be throwing my money away.”

It took everything he had in him not to let his surprise show on his face. Tseng had a girlfriend? For some reason the idea seemed vaguely impossible… though he wasn’t sure why. The guy certainly wasn’t bad looking, and though he was a fair bit older than Reno, he was still pretty young. Still, though… he somehow just couldn’t picture it. Probably, it was just a silly rumor.

“Besides… he’s a little too old for me. I mean… I just graduated high school a year and a half ago,” she continued, “So, Reno… What about you?”

“What about me?” he asked, having somewhat lost the train of the conversation during his musings.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” She gave him a sultry smile, and if the meaning behind her question hadn’t already been blatantly obvious, her foot teasingly caressing his calf under the table certainly was.

Reno smirked and shook his head. “Don’t have one, and not lookin’,” he replied, and then grinned, “But… I’m not exactly against havin’ a good time. Ya know… If you’re interested in gettin’ with another Turk instead of my new boss…”

Izzy’s smile widened, and her foot crept up to his thigh. “I’m suddenly not all that hungry anymore. Why don’t we go somewhere quieter where we can… talk.”

Being a Turk certainly seemed to have some pretty significant benefits. All he’d had to do was tell her that he was one and she was practically throwing herself at him. Reno had to bite back a gasp as her foot slipped between his legs.

“Got somewhere in mind?” he asked, eagerly.

Just a few minutes later, he found himself being pulled enthusiastically into a small supply closet in an empty hallway on the thirty-fifth floor. His first full day as a Turk was finally looking up.

---

Remy and Sato finally emerged from Veld’s office. The shouting between the two of them had echoed down the corridor until the Turk commander had at last decided he’d had enough and silenced them once again. Tseng had been encamped in his own office across the hall, waiting for his turn.

“Tseng? Join me in my office,” his superior’s voice demanded through the closed door. Tseng sighed and stood up, resigned to his fate, and crossed the hallway. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

“You said you could handle sorting this idiocy out,” Veld said, accusingly.

“Yes, sir. I… haven’t been quite as successful as I’d thought I would be.”

“I will not have various corners of Turk headquarters being blown to pieces every few days. Either you get them in line, or I will. This is your last chance in this matter. One more incident, and I’m going to have to take care of it myself. It cannot continue. Is that clear, Tseng?”

Tseng tried not to flinch. He didn’t like to disappoint his mentor… but thus far, what should have been the relatively simple task of maintaining order in the ranks had become an impossible hurdle. Remy was on edge over her potential promotion, and Sato was just enough of a jerk to relentlessly needle her over her anxiety. Their antics were not only making him look bad personally… it was making the Turks as a whole look bad.

“Yes, sir,” he said at last, dejected. What really stung was that it had been Tseng who’d pushed for more responsibility. Keeping his subordinates in line was actually a bit outside his job description. As second in command, his primary duties were to oversee training regimens, and act as a field commander on assignments. Making sure his fellow Turks didn’t kill one another was more Veld’s territory. But Tseng had always been something of an overachiever. He’d wanted the responsibility desperately. Moreover, he wanted to prove himself to Veld.

Which was also why he’d been so determined to recruit Reno. It had taken him months to talk to man into at last letting him take on a rookie of his own. And he had no illusions that a large part of Veld’s decision to finally allow it was due to the heavy losses they’d suffered in a botched raid six months ago. Eleven Turks had been killed, each of them more than a mere acquaintance… they were as good as family. It had been a heavy blow to them all.

And it had more than halved their numbers. It didn’t help, either, that word of what had happened had leaked to the ranks of the recruiting program… with all of the gory – and it had been gory – details. Few of those going through the training and evaluations had stuck around, and only one of the few who remained had been far enough along to even be considered for promotion. Two others had been on thin ice… one of which had nearly washed out twice already. Veld had refused to promote either of them, no matter how desperate they were.

Thus, they had a single rookie to replace eleven seasoned Turks. Rude had been promoted three weeks after the last funeral.

Tseng had stopped just short of literally begging to get Reno on board and train him in the field. Somewhat to his amazement, Veld had eventually relented and agreed. He was fairly certain the tipping point had been when he’d asked that the teenager be his first solo rookie. One that he would train entirely on his own. It was a right of passage that Tseng had long wanted to take on, but had been told repeatedly that he wasn’t ready for.

“How is Reno adjusting to the Plate?” Veld suddenly asked, shifting the topic of conversation to what he almost certainly had to know was at the forefront of Tseng’s thoughts.

“He’s only been here since Monday, sir,” Tseng replied.

“That’s not what I asked.”

“He’s… still a bit intimidated and overwhelmed. But once he settles in, he’ll be fine, sir.”

“Where is he now?”

“I sent him to lunch.” He carefully omitted the fact that he’d sent him to lunch largely because Tseng hadn’t wanted his new rookie to watch him being reprimanded by his own mentor. Losing his temper with the redhead the way he had had been embarrassing enough, particularly given that the boy really hadn’t done anything to warrant it. He didn’t need Reno seeing his other flaws being put on display, as well.

“I’d like to meet him as soon as he returns.”

“Yes, sir.”

Veld nodded once, and took a seat at his desk.

“You’re dismissed.”

~end chapter 9~