DOGS of War

~ ~ ~

“Check your stance. Good. Keep relaxed, but focused. Trust your instincts as well as your eyes. Line up your sights. Aim. Fire.”

Haine did exactly as instructed, sending yet another bullet hurtling toward the target at the far end of the firing range.

“Very good.” Tseng nodded approvingly as Haine relaxed, lowering the pistol and turning to him.

Zack was back on duty. The spiky haired youth had dropped by the apartment early that morning to steal some breakfast and wish Haine good luck before he went out for patrol. They were keeping his schedule light, and his missions local, but Zack was more than thrilled to be back in action.

Genesis, too, was back to work. No longer able to shirk his duties, he had been forcibly dragged by a very stern Angeal to a fun-filled day of meetings. Sephiroth had offered to escort Haine to the Turk training grounds, located a fair distance from the ShinRa compound. He had stayed until Tseng had arrived a few moments later and then departed for his own obligations.

Haine immediately took a liking to Tseng's quiet and confident manner, and suspected that the feeling was mutual. The two had spent the better part of the day out on the range, the white haired boy determined to learn everything he could about firearms. After a thorough session on use and maintenance of the ShinRa infantry rifle, Haine had still seemed reluctant to head back to HQ so Tseng had offered to teach him how to use hand guns. The pale youth had jumped at the chance.

“Yo, Boss!”

Tseng and Haine both turned to see Reno walking across the grass toward them, Rude close behind. Zack was standing nearby as well and, judging from the proud grin plastered across his face, he had been watching for a while before the others had arrived.

“Reno. Rude.” Tseng gave a nod of acknowledgment to both as they came to a stop a few feet away.

Zack finally walked over, now that his presence had been noticed. He hugged Haine tightly from behind, leaning forward to plant a kiss on his temple before resting his chin amidst fluffy white spikes to watch the conversation taking place amongst the Turks, his grin never fading.

“Boss, ya been out here all day. Someone's been lookin' for you.”

Tseng raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

Reno crossed his arms with an exasperated sigh. “Who else?”

An unpleasant look flitted across the dark haired Turk's visage before he managed to school his features into their usual stoic expression. “Very well.” He turned back to Haine, utterly unsurprised to see the soldier currently hanging on him like a Zack Blanket. “If you'd like, we can continue with your training tomorrow. You have amazing potential, and it would be a waste for it to go unrealized.”

Seeing the crestfallen look on the youth's face, Reno spoke up. “Hey if he wants to stay for some extra practice, I've got nothin' to do for a while. We can keep an eye on him, maybe show him a few things,” he said, nudging Rude with his elbow as he gave Tseng his most endearing look.

Knowing better than to take Reno at face value when he was wearing that expression, but trusting his subordinates nonetheless, Tseng nodded in agreement. “That would be appreciated. Until tomorrow then.” He nodded once to Haine before taking his leave.

“You're both lookin' a hell of a lot better. 'specially you, kid. Damn, I almost didn't even recognize ya.” At Haine's blank gaze, he shrugged and turned to Zack, who was now standing beside Haine with an arm comfortably around the youth's shoulders. “And how're you doin'? I bet you're happy to be back in action, yo.”

“Absolutely. Angeal's a great guy and all, and I know he's just looking out for me, but I was seriously starting to go stir crazy,” Zack laughed.

“So you're getting' your own place again?”

“Nah. I'm still under 'observation', but I really don't mind that. So long as I can keep working, who cares where I sleep at, right?”

“Yea, I bet.” Reno chuckled, deciding to try again to talk to the quiet albino. “So, you're pretty handy with a gun. Tseng seems to like you, too. Thinkin' you're gonna join the Turks?”

“Oh, hell no,” Zack cut in. “He's gonna be in SOLDIER.”

“Whoa, man. Let the kid speak for himself, yo. Just makin' conversation. And what if he does wanna be a Turk, huh?”

“Yea right. There's no way he'd want to be one of you,” Zack scoffed.

Reno's eyes narrowed. “You got somethin' against the Turks all of a sudden? You sure didn't complain when we carted your sorry ass from that dungeon back home.”

Zack let go of Haine, stepping forward and crossing his arms. “I don't have to have anything against the Turks to know I don't want Haine being one. He's gonna be a soldier. And a damn good one, too.”

“Oh really? He sure as hell doesn't act like a soldier.”

“Okay, and what does that mean?”

“See? I gotta spell everything out for ya. It means he's not loud-mouthed and arrogant.”

“Oh, like you have any room to talk about arrogance! At least when we say something we can back it up.”

“Is that a challenge, soldier-boy? You think I can't take you down?”

“Not if you fight honorably, you can't.”

“Psh, not using everything at your disposal just makes you dumb and dead, not honorable.”

“If you're strong enough, you don't need to cheat to win!”

“Bein' smart ain't cheatin'!”

Both men suddenly jumped, each reaching for their weapons as a loud explosion effectively ended their argument. Zack and Reno gaped at the smoldering remnants of a target downrange, before turning to look at the cause of the destruction. Reno laughed loudly, giving a small cheer as Zack stared in shock.

Haine was clutching a huge gun that appeared to be some sort of heavily modified sniper rifle, the powerful recoil of which had sent him reeling backward so he was leaning heavily against Rude. The large Turk was standing behind him with an arm wrapped around his waist to hold him up. Haine looked dazed, but there was something akin to a grin on his face.

“Now that's what I'm talkin' about!” Reno crowed, gesturing to the massive weapon. “Cobra Assault Cannon, yo. State of the art bang bang. Scarlet may be a vindictive bitch, but she sure can build a gun. Good call, Rude.”

The bald Turk looked up at his name, his own satisfied smile fading at the murderous look on Zack's face as the raven stared at the arm around Haine's slim waist. Rude pulled away so fast that the boy nearly fell, the slender youth stumbling a bit before regaining his bearings and standing straight again.

Seeing that, Zack shook himself, startled by the sudden, intense urge he'd had to tear off Rude's arm and beat the man senseless with his own appendage. He gave the large man a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head and offering him a silent apology. The cool expression on Rude's face remained unchanged, but he relaxed. Silent apology silently accepted. Zack let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and moved to stand beside Haine who was now on the receiving end of an emphatic conversation with Reno. The sudden burst of violent rage was troubling, but he'd ponder about it later. He was probably just tired and stressed, after all.

“Maybe next time you'll use the bipod, yea? Then the recoil won't send ya sprawlin'.” Reno laughed, ruffling soft white hair and frowning to himself as Zack tensed before falling back into his usual happy facade. Something was going on with Zack, but Reno knew to leave well enough alone. Information gathering was a Turk specialty, and the key to that was timing. Now wasn't the time for trying to decipher Zack's sudden mood swings, so he decided to change the subject and offer up a distraction. “If you want, I can show you how to use that thing properly,” Reno offered to Haine with a bright smile.

Zack didn't much care for the overly-genuine look that Reno was giving Haine, but he shrugged it off as paranoia and stepped back. He stood next to Rude, the two of them watching with interest at Reno's attempt at teaching. Haine nodded, holding out the rifle to Reno.

“Nope, you keep it. You're doing this, I'm just gonna tell you how. Okay, you set the gun on the ground. Flip down the bipod to hold it up,” he explained, settling down in the grass beside Haine as the youth did as instructed. “Okay, now lay flat on your stomach, rest the butt against your shoulder just like with the infantry rifle so you can look through the scope or, in this case, watch the screen. This way, you're stable and still keep a low enough profile to avoid detection. You can set the bipod on just about anything-table, car hood, whatever-but for now the ground's fine. For this cannon, the aiming isn't as important, so you don't have an actual scope, but if you were sniping it'd be the same pose. Only difference is that you'd have a high-powered scope mounted on top, because when you're sniping, aim is everything.” Reno spoke smoothly, sitting close beside Haine. He stole a glance at his audience, flushing with a small amount of pride at the surprised and impressed expressions he saw on their faces. Apparently, they were unaware that Reno was a man of so many talents.

Reno lay down on his side, propping himself up on one elbow, a relaxed smile settling on his face. “I think you've got it from here, kid. Just remember what boss man told ya, and you'll be fine. You already have at least some idea of what to expect from this baby, yea?”

Haine nodded and turned back to the small screen atop the massive firearm. He zeroed in on one of the distant targets and squeezed the trigger. This time he was expecting the recoil and, though he grunted as the gun bucked against his shoulder, he held it steady. The straw target at the far end of the range was instantly decimated, a massive fireball engulfing the area before dissipating to reveal an expanse of scorched earth with a few smoldering remnants of target in the center.

Reno laughed loudly, sitting up and turning to see similar expressions of satisfaction on Rude and Zack's faces. He didn't know what was so intoxicating about blowing shit up, but it never failed to be awesome. It seemed that even Haine wasn't impervious to the effects, the quiet boy smiling thankfully at Reno before turning to Zack and mirroring the spiky haired youth's grin.

“Alright, now that you know how to do it the right way, you can have a bit more fun.”

“I think Zack should try now,” Haine said quietly. He didn't look at Reno, but the redhead could still tell that he had noticed both Zack's mood and Reno's attempt to lighten it and was following suit.

Reno grinned brightly. He liked this kid. “Totally.”

Seeing two intense and slightly devious gazes directed towards him, Zack put both hands up, backing away slightly. “Whoa, what's up, guys?”

“Your turn,” Haine stated, standing up and moving toward Zack.

“Yep, you're next, hero.” Reno and Haine each grabbed one of Zack's arms, pulling him forward.

“Hey, hey, wait. I'm not the one getting trained here,” Zack laughed.

Haine picked up the rifle, holding it out to Zack as he schooled his features into the perfect pout. Zack immediately caved and took the cannon, looking it over and checking out the various scanners and doodads attached to it.

“Aight, now, what I was saying is that for this beast, you don't really have to lay down all proper and such. But the trick is to hold it low, and keep it tight against your side. I think there's a shoulder strap somewhere around here if you want it, but you should be fine without it.”

“I had no idea you were so well equipped...” Zack joked, casting a sidelong glance at the Turk as he hefted the gun and aimed downrange.

“Yea, maybe later you can show me your cannon, yo,” Reno snarked raunchily.

“'I'd buy that for a dollar,'” Haine mumbled, staring innocently downrange.

As Zack jerked his head up in surprise, his hand clenched and the cannon fired. The sudden and unexpected recoil caught him off guard and he nearly dropped the rifle, fumbling with it for a few seconds before regaining his grip and composure enough to gawk at the albino.

Haine however, was too preoccupied with watching Reno to notice Zack's stare. The redheaded Turk was now on the ground, howling with laughter.

“Yea, yea. Laugh it up,” Zack muttered, his cheeks flushing a bright pink.

Reno finally pulled himself back together enough to sit up and grin at Zack. “Aight, I think you'd better give that back to someone who can handle it. Wouldn't want you having another misfire...”

“Well that rules you out, Reno,” Zack bit back, though he couldn't entirely keep the laughter out of his voice. “Here, you're the one in training,” he said, handing the gun back to Haine.

Haine smirked at the pink tinge on Zack's cheeks, but he smoothed out his expression as he took the rifle. He fell easily back into his firing stance, spreading his legs a bit for better stability. Haine focused on the furthest target, lining up the appropriate blip on the screen and squeezing the trigger. He held the gun tight to his side as it fired, the force pushing him a few inches backwards despite his broad stance. He kept his balance though, and was able to maintain a steady aim.

“Damn kid, I don't think you're heavy enough for that thing,” Reno laughed.

“You aim and shoot, I'll be your weight.” Zack moved behind him, wrapping around him and holding him close. He widened his stance, bracing himself as Haine pressed against him. Zack couldn't help but notice how perfectly the smaller boy fit against him, and he was momentarily lost in the sensation and scent of Haine, not realizing when his fingertips began gently stroking the exposed skin of Haine's stomach. The alluring smell was back suddenly and he closed his eyes, burying his nose in soft, white spikes and breathed it in deeply. The sound of the cannon firing startled him, and he swallowed a groan as Haine was momentarily thrust back against his body. Zack immediately flushed crimson and pulled away slightly, attempting to maintain a respectable distance between them. The smaller boy turned back to look up at Zack, his eyes filled with an intense but unreadable emotion.

“Can't leave you kids alone for five minutes...”

Zack jumped back, turning to grin at Genesis as the SOLDIER first meandered across the grass. Still blushing, and now looking incredibly guilty, Zack fidgeted restlessly. “What do you mean?”

Genesis laughed, giving Haine a quick hug. “I mean, a few minutes ago I passed Tseng on my way home and he told me you guys were still out here training, and now I find you all blowing things up with an anti-summon cannon.” He grinned deviously, slinging an arm around Haine's shoulders and pulling him close. He planted a kiss on the side of his head and turned to Zack with fake tears welling up in his eyes. “You two make me so proud.”

Zack relaxed, laughing brightly as he was pulled tight against Genesis's other side. He wrapped his arm around Genesis' waist as the redhead leaned in, planting a kiss amidst black spikes to match the one he'd just given Haine.

Genesis was surprised at the way Zack leaned into him, resting his head against the first's shoulder. He studied Zack's features briefly for signs of distress and, finding none, decided to simply enjoy the contact. “Alright, who's hungry? I just got done with work so nothing's made, but I think we can deal with some celebratory take out, hm?”

“Sure, I'll just put this away then we can go,” Haine said, hefting the gun and slipping out from under Genesis' arm.

“Looks like our little snowflake's doing well,” Genesis said teasingly to Zack who was still leaning comfortably against his side.

“Oh no, not you too,” Haine muttered as he walked off to put the oversized rifle away.

“Snowflake? What's that about, yo?” Reno piped up, tired of being ignored.

“It's a stupid nickname that Zack came up with,” Genesis supplied with a smirk at Zack's offended look.

“Oh man, that is pretty bad. Not as bad as what Angeal calls Zack, but pretty bad,” Reno laughed.

“Wait, what?” Zack cut in. “You know it too?? What the hell, man? Come on, ya gotta tell me!”

“I don't know, I think Angeal's pet name for Zack is cute,” Genesis continued, ignoring Zack's indignation.

“Hell yea, it's cute. Too cute, yo. Doesn't fit a soldier, y'know?” Reno followed Genesis' lead, ignoring Zack.

“Cute?! He calls me something cute?!”

“Fits Zack though,” Rude interjected.

“Okay, that's true enough,” Reno laughed.

Zack gaped at the bald man. “Even you know?! Oh come on! Does everyone but me know?” He stomped his foot with a pout, sending the other three men into a new fit of laughter. Well, the two redheads anyway. Rude remained stoic as ever, but was clearly laughing on the inside.

Haine returned then, chuckling quietly as Zack immediately glomped onto him for morale support. “If it bothers you that much, why don't you just ask him?”

Zack leaned away, looking down at him incredulously. “Ask him? You don't just ask Angeal about something like that. If he doesn't tell me something, then he can't know that I know about it. He would get all... weird about it.”

Genesis grinned deviously. “You don't know the half of it. Come on, you two. Let's get some food, and I can tell you about all the crazy things Angeal got weird over as a kid.” He bowed graciously to the Turks before swiftly turning and heading back the way he'd come.

“Seriously? Like what?? Hey, wait up!” Zack shouted as he jogged to catch up with Genesis.

Haine turned to Reno and Rude, offering up a small wave before he, too, walked off.

= = =

A few days later, Zack stood in front of Genesis' door, bouncing impatiently as he punched in the code and waited for it to slide open. Since he was back on duty, he had substantially less free time and struggled to divvy it up between Haine, training, Angeal, Genesis, and Cloud. In fact, he hadn't even seen the blond cadet until a few minutes ago. The door swished open and he bounced enthusiastically inside.

Hearing the intrusion, Genesis stuck his head out of the kitchen and looked to the door. Seeing Zack, he smiled and waved a pair of tongs in greeting before ducking back into the kitchen.

Zack glanced around the room, his eyebrows drawing together at finding it empty. He followed Genesis into the kitchen, holding in a giggle at the sight of the redhead in Angeal's apron. For all his posturing, he certainly seemed to like the thing. “Hey, where's Haine?”

“Out on the range, practicing.”

“Still?” Zack checked his watch. It was getting pretty late.

“Yea. I was kinda hoping it was him coming in... Tseng told him he could use the Turk training grounds whenever he wants now. He's been there since this morning.”

“Tseng really said that? He only started training a few days ago.” Zack wasn't sure whether he felt more proud or concerned.

“I know. He really does seem to be doing well though... and it's definitely better than being cooped up in here all day.”

"Yea...” A pensive silence fell over the pair for a moment before Zack finally spoke up again. “Hey, Gen...”

“Hm?”

“What if... do you think Haine might be better off as a Turk?”

Genesis frowned. “Did he say something to you?”

“No. It was just something Reno mentioned... and you did say that he's getting along really well with them. And if Tseng's got his eye on him...”

“No one can make that decision but Haine. And whatever he decides, that's his choice. But that's not really what you're worried about is it?” Zack gave him the guilty puppy face and he knew he was right. “No matter what happens, no one's taking him away from us. Not scientists, not the Turks, no one. And I'll kill anyone who tries,” he finished vehemently.

Genesis blinked in surprise as Zack suddenly wrapped both arms around his waist, burying his face into the redhead's neck. He could feel the tension that had coiled in the youth's shoulders and back release as he relaxed against the first. Genesis gently stroked the back of his head, feeling Zack shiver as he brushed over the wrapped plate of metal that remained well-hidden under the collar of his uniform. It was so easy to forget everything he'd been through when Zack was smiling and bouncing, but at that moment, with the youth clinging to him and shivering, the realization hit Genesis hard. Haine didn't need Zack. It was the other way around. If he were to lose Haine, Zack's suffering would have been for nothing. He may be a sword fighting prodigy and a damn good soldier, but Zack was still just a boy from a backwater town suddenly being forced to grow up way too fast.

Genesis pulled Zack tighter against him, nuzzling against the side of his face and ear. He couldn't miss the way that Zack leaned into the touches, hungry for affection. Genesis held back a growl. He didn't care how much he loved Angeal; if the man was neglecting Zack, he was going to pummel the everliving shit out of him. Zack tensed against him and Genesis wondered if he actually had let that growl slip out. He immediately shoved the negative thoughts from his mind and resumed rubbing Zack's back soothingly. “Hey, don't worry about it.” He gently pushed Zack away so that he could look him in the eye and stroked his cheek with a thumb. “Don't let things that Reno says get to you. He's a good kid, but he's got a big mouth and most of what spills out of it is bullshit.” Zack chuckled at that and Genesis smiled reassuringly at him. “And Tseng won't ever be able to make Haine's eyes light up the way you do. You're his hero, Zack. He looks up to you, and a big, shiny gun isn't going to change that.”

Zack looked down as his cheeks turned pink, unsure of how to take the praise from his superior. “Thanks, Gen.”

Genesis gave Zack a tired smile and leaned against the counter next to the stove. “Now, since Haine doesn't seem too inclined to come home just yet, would you mind going to get him? Dinner's almost ready,”

“Sure, I have something to tell him anyway.” Zack's smile regained its usual vigor as he recalled his reason for wanting to see the small albino in the first place. He eyed the empty grill pan heating up on the stove. “So what's for dinner then?”

“Just some hot dogs.” Genesis picked the package of them up off of the counter. He opened it and began laying them out on the heated grill pan. “ I think I'm getting lazy about this cooking thing,” he said, poking at one of the tubes of meat with his tongs.

Zack shook his head with a grin as he headed back out towards the door. “Let's hope you never have kids, Gen. I'll be back in a few.”

“Not something I'm exactly worried about...” he mumbled to the suddenly empty room. With a sigh, he resumed poking impatiently at the hot dogs as they sizzled in the pan.

Now that he was alone again, Genesis rubbed the back of his neck, trying in vain to massage away the soreness that had taken up residence there. He stretched, groaning as his stiff muscles protested and his spine popped in a few places. Rubbing his eyes with the back of one hand, Genesis leaned heavily on the counter.

With a defeated sigh he opened the corner cabinet, shuffling a few things out of the way and grabbing a bottle of pills tucked in the back, out of sight. He twisted the cap off, shaking a couple of tablets into his palm before screwing it back on and shoving the bottle back into the depths of the cabinet, taking care to rearrange the items in front of it.

He crossed the kitchen to the sink, pulling a glass out of the cabinet above it. He filled the glass with water and downed both pills, holding back a grimace as he chugged the remainder of the water. He rinsed the glass and shook off most of the water before setting it back on the shelf. He turned back to the hot dogs, picking up the tongs and lifting the end of one wiener. “Nope, not yet.”

= = =

Zack wasted no time making his way out to the firing range. Haine was alone, and Zack stood back a ways, deciding to watch him for a short while before making his presence known. He leaned against a post, admiring the graceful way that Haine moved. Genesis was right, it didn't matter what Haine decided to be, Zack wasn't going to let anything get in between him and the snowy haired youth. He'd fight to the death if he had to, but no one would take Haine from him.

Zack was startled when Haine suddenly turned to look at him, the youth's fierce crimson gaze softening the instant it met with glowing blue. Zack grinned. He knew he wasn't the most subtle of soldiers, but the fact that Haine had noticed him so quickly was impressive nonetheless. He pushed off of the post, quickly crossing the distance to Haine. “Great news, Snowy!”

Haine rolled his eyes at the mutation of his already abysmal nickname, but chuckled at Zack's excitement regardless.

“I just ran into Cloud, and I told him about how you wanted to join SOLDIER. He said he'd be happy to help, so I signed for you two to use one of the SOLDIER training rooms tomorrow evening so he can help get you caught up. I'll be there if you need anything, but I think it'll be good for you to be able to get some practice in with someone your own, um, level.”

“Really? He's okay with it?” Haine asked, unsure.

“Yep, he's actually pretty excited. It's rare for someone as tiny as you two to sign up for SOLDIER training, so he's looking forward to getting a chance to go against someone his own size.”

Haine smiled, reflecting Zack's enthusiastic grin, but his mind was racing. He knew he should be happy, but a cold feeling settled into the pit of his stomach and refused to be dislodged. Lost in thought, he put away the gun he'd been using before heading back to where Zack was waiting for him.

“Now, let's get back for dinner. It's late, the sun's already going down.”

Realizing that Zack was correct, Haine reached up, pulling the sunglasses away from his eyes and perching them on the top of his head.

Zack rested an arm around Haine's shoulders as they began heading back towards the ShinRa complex. “Those are cute, where'd they come from?”

“Gen bought them for me. He said he noticed me still having trouble with bright light and being outside.”

“Hah, he's such a big softie.”

“Ya... Got me a music player too, for when I can't sleep.”

“You're having trouble sleeping?”

“Are you surprised?”

“No, I guess not...” Zack remembered the night they shared huddled together on a cold, cement floor, recalling the way the smaller boy had sought him out for warmth and comfort. “Hey, if you ever want some company, let me know, okay? We can have a sleepover and watch movies all night until we pass out in a heap on the couch... or I can just, y'know... stay with you.” His arm tightened instinctively around Haine as the smaller boy stopped walking. Zack looked down at him, worried that he'd said something wrong.

Haine looked up, studying Zack's face for a moment before answering softly. “Yea, I think I'd like that.” He was still feeling nervous and unsettled about training with Cloud, and the thought of having Zack close helped put him at ease. “Can you stay tonight?”

Zack smiled warmly, his eyes flooding with relief. “Of course. Whenever you need me,” he said softly. He let his arm slip from Haine's shoulders to wrap around his waist, pulling him into a quick embrace. “Now, come on. Gen's waiting.”

~ ~ ~

Okay, I honestly have no idea why I even bothered with an outline anymore... I mean, Reno wasn't even supposed to be *in* this chapter. And once he invited himself to the party, he refused to do what I wanted. Fortunately, we were able to work things out and move on, but what a struggle it was. XD

This is only about half of what was supposed to be in this chapter but new things just kept popping up and expanding so I cut it off so I could post some time this century. I've also spent quite a bit of time writing later scenes as they play out in my head. This means that (hopefully) the later chapters will be easier to write.

Only three quotes/references in this one. All from Robocop. If you've not seen the movie yet, shame on you. Go do so immediately. I'll be here waiting when you get back. :3 One is Haine actually quoting the movie, the other two are things I pulled out. I wonder if anyone will be able to spot them...