My Road

Disclaimer:

I do not own Final Fantasy 7, It’s original characters, places, etc. Nor do I make any money from this fanfiction. The only things that are mine are my own original added characters. And the situations or new places added to flesh out my own story.

Warnings:

Just some simple issues. Angst… and well… someoen dies.. but not a main character. And some sadness. The major stuff returns next chapter. Some good and some bad. So… yeah this time the chapter is ‘all environment safe’ but next one… not so much


My Road

~Chapter 16~


The frantic grin that covered Reno’s feelings so well grew wider and wider each passing day. The grin was dripping in a sleazy cockiness that shrouded any concerned that he might have had for any and all that he was learning.


Son was quite the leader. He was impeccable in some ways, really. He didn’t let anyone slip up in the slightest, unless they wanted to meet with a swiftly doled out fate. In the first three days of Reno’s existence in this new organization he’d watched two men’s lives be taken. A slight movement from Son and his lackey, whom Reno had since learned was called Jo… such a simple name for a cruddy filthy animal, would walk behind them and either wrap a wire around their neck or simple shoot them. He’d witnessed both ways to die in those two situations. Perhaps Jo used other method’s Reno really didn’t care to find out.


But he’d stood by and diligently watched and listened as Son went over simple rules and dealt with small issues. Then on the second day there, Reno left with Son on a job to pick up three ‘young ones’. It turned out that most of the time the recruiters would bring the new kids or people to a meeting point, which consisted of 3 main houses throughout the lower plate and 2 above, which Reno wouldn’t get to see yet. That would happen later if he proved himself worthwhile.


Reno was not comfortable with it, but he was faced with the strict instructions to leave Kit in the manor. It made him very uneasy because Kit was extremely anxious inside that building, most likely because the Feline could not reach anything that was natural to Gaia, which he needed to replenish his strength. And he also didn’t like it, probably due to the fact that the entire place was drowning in the stench of death, and rot everywhere in this entire sector.


Once Reno was on the move wearing some new clothes that had been provided, which were comfortable, Reno was not used to this and was hesitant at first to accept, though when Son made it clearly known that Reno had BETTER come back wearing this new clothes he acquiesced. He fell into a better mood. Something felt natural as he walked beside and slightly behind his new ‘Boss’ and mimicked the actions of the man ‘Jo’ even though some of the glances his way were less than friendly.


They made their way through the sectors, via railway, and through one connection via a work truck, similar to something that would be used in transporting army or SOLDIER through the sectors. And when Reno saw this house that was the first rendezvous his mouth gaped. There were at least 20 kids around his age and older throughout the place. There were men also, very ruddy looking worn men; Hardened men that looked like they belonged to some guerilla group.


Reno’s heart spiked for a minute, while he allowed his thinking to play unhindered. He swallowed past a slight lump in his throat thinking he’d be overjoyed were he to run into Talc like this. Maybe he was…


Reno shook his head at the notion. He WOULD get past this. He’d just keep telling himself that. There was a lot to learn between now and then though. He stood next to Jo and thought how puny he was compared to the smelly man. He was only 12 years old, but he was quite tall and lanky for his age. He’d actually stretched up more over these last two years than he thought possible. He stood in the tight black slacks that had been given to him and the silver button up shirt, which he’d thrown his large overcoat on top of with it open for easy reaching for his pockets inside and out. The coat didn’t hang as far down on his legs. That was the main way he could gauge his growth by.


He paid close attention now that he’d cleared his head of wishes. Reno knew he needed to use his natural talent more... He’d been slacking off. Feeling sorry for himself since everything had changed. But he needed to hone in on his abilities. Talc had taught him so much. He could really have a fair chance at standing up for himself now.


Reno watched as Son looked over three young women they were probably about Reno’s age or a little older. He examined and talked to them. He found out their strength and weaknesses. He asked the person who had been in charge of watching them and providing care for them since they’d been in this home. After which he leaned down and whispered a few things to Jo and Jo murmured for the young women to come with him. He brought them outside and Reno waited for Son to finish up speaking to a couple of rough looking men in the foyer, he couldn’t hear what they were saying but one of them grunted and looked the direction that Jo went while the other nodded in Reno’s direction and grinned asking Son a question.


Son turned his head and regarded Reno with a dark look. “No… I don’t think so; I believe he will be more profitable for me this way. But…” He turned back to regard the man. “I’ll consider it for future possibilities. “ He grinned and looked at Reno with a dark glint.


Reno nervously swallowed but hid it well with a glance at the insides of the house, making himself seem distracted. He knew what Talc was ‘considering’ and Reno figured that it was hopeless to think he’d get out so easily as it had seemed. But Reno was rewarded with the sudden command from Son “Come on Reno. We need to continue training you… you have still so much to learn about our ways.”


Things went on like this for days, weeks actually. Reno followed, heeled when called. Learned about the ways of Eyes shut. He learned quite easily how to get the ‘young ones’ to trust him. Talk to them, learn their strengths minself, and sort them. Son taught him of the bidders and purchasers that he would deal with. And eventually began taking him on these jobs as well. To meet with the buyers, deal with them directly, feel them out. In the end… Reno learned how to make the best matches work.


Sadly many of the jobs were less than honorable. Reno was reminded of his single meeting with Yon. The old man had been seen throughout Reno’s first month or so of training here but he had not been able to talk to the elder man at all. Son saw to that. But ultimately Reno also though of what the man meant. He could make what little they were giving these kids as honorable as possible. Just like he himself would look at his own position that he’d been given as something quite nice.


Reno thought back to where he’d come from and the long and not so long at the same time… path that he’d followed. It felt like just yesterday he’d been standing outside the little hut that was his family’s home talking to his mother, covered in mud after playing with the baby Cuahls not far from home. Yes really, Reno had come a long ways. But he still wanted to be more.


So one day when Reno overheard Son talking about some other business that he had not heard him speak on before Reno naturally spoke up.


“So… you talkin guns, yo?” Reno nonchalantly spoke up as he’d overheard part of the conversation.


The two men stopped immediately and fell silent. Son directed a dark gaze at the boy standing in the doorway of his office. He regarded Reno with an examining gaze. And with only a slight hike of one eyebrow prepared to say something.


Son glanced at the man with whom he was doing business that moment with, before turning to Reno. “You must have a good reason for opening up your mouth in the middle of a transaction.” His eyes were steel and his face was stone. “Speak now Reno… you are walking a very thin edge…”


Reno’s heart pumped wildly for a moment while he tried to remain calm on the outside. He knew what they were talking about, he just didn’t know how else to get involved in the conversation. Maybe he’d been extremely hasty in opening his mouth at all.


Reno looked at Son, straight in the eyes, and thought for a second before opening his mouth, this time choosing careful words. “I, have some prior experience regarding…” He looked down at the desk that Son sat in front of. And shuffling his feet slightly he looked back up at Son’s face, which was still chiseled from stone. “Weapons transactions… and the transport of such. As well as … in acquiring them.” He stopped and watched Son while holding his breath.


Son regarded Reno with a knowing and approving gaze, though the boy didn’t know it yet. Son knew Reno’s potential. He’d had knowledge of the boys work with the man who had trained him. They’d been sighted a couple of times and left alone to be watched, they were not a threat to their group. But Son had particular interest in Reno. The boy had caught his attention the moment the man had seen a picture and report on the boys movements.


He shifted a couple of papers around on the desk, while ignoring the man he’d been involved with this transaction with. He was an old partner… someone who would give Eyes Shut their business come what may. And the man knew to keep his mouth shut during a moment like this. Son’s knowing gaze, wandered over the boy. He had been training with some of the newer boys earlier. And though he’d only been here a little over a month, Son thought he could see the boy’s muscles becoming leaner just in this short amount of time. He knew that Reno would be a nice addition to this family. But to handle this properly, he needed to use the boy’s fear of him, to his benefit.


He steepled his fingers in front of his face while leaning his elbows on the desk. “Well Reno… Let’s hear what you think about our transaction then… since you obviously overheard at least a portion of our conversation.” He stopped and riveted his gaze to Reno’s eyes again, over the view of his fingers. “But Reno I warn you… chose your words carefully… It would be a shame to lose you from this company so soon…”


~~~6 Months Later~~~


“Shut yer yap… if ya know what’s good fer ya, yo!” Reno ground out to one of the men lagging behind him, asking questions regarding the backup for them. He was furious. They had lost two of their good runners. And he was waiting on a transaction from the upper plate. It was inevitably the largest move this month. And he had a stop to still make at one of their homes to pick up a kid. It was some special request that someone had made through their ‘Family’.


Reno walked forward at a confident pace. His long limbs fluid with his body. His long bundle of Red hair still rolled up at the base of his scalp and wrapped to keep it neat. He wore a black sleeveless zipped up shirt and charcoal colored slacks. His long overcoat only hung just past his knees now. He figured he was almost at his adult height. The coat hung open and he had weapons attached at his waist and on his hips.


His pockets were filled with goodies that would help him in numerous situations. He had sticky fingers to rival anyone. And a mind that far surpassed most, though he kept that fact hidden. He used only a portion of his potential at this tender age. He knew that if he had the right training he could be so much more.


Kit nudged up against his leg and became visible. “Hey Kit… I know… it’s not going well huh. We’ll be outa ‘ere before ya know it.” He made a motion with his arm as they came up to the front of the ‘home’. “Alright kit. Ya know what ta do… “ His motion and words sent the feline away. Most likely to replenish his strength. Reno always knew Kit would be right near them when they left. The dear friend had stayed faithfully by Reno’s side once he’d started actually working for Son. He trained with him, worked with him, and protected him.


Reno shrugged as he walked up the steps hearing the two men slow as he ascended into the house. Since he’d been doing this work he’d gotten the men that were always sent with him trained to stay outside. When he was evaluating the kids he wanted to be able to read them in silence, peace, and privacy. The kids never knew how they were being read. He always asked a few casual questions. But could always tell truth from fiction.


He went through the front door with a sigh. This home was their poorest, and in one of the most run down sectors they did business in. Usually nothing much came out of it aside from the occasional whelp to do basic grunt work when he would grow up or a few young girls to do some sort of ‘work’ making people ‘happy’ Reno knew through personal experience howtheir skill was figured out. He unconsciously shuddered when he remembered the day that Son had allowed Jo at him. To ‘Test’ Reno out.


With a heavy sigh again Reno walked into the front room that was like the office to the home. “Where’s the Kid at” He said to the first person he saw. The young woman looked a little worn for wear, but sufficed as a ‘Mother’ to the kids while they were taken in, sorted, and held for Reno and whoever else was on ‘Gathering’ duty.


She stuttered and stood up in haste, knocking over the desk chair as she did so. Even in the dim and dusty lighting of the room Reno saw her concern as she chewed on her bottom lip. “The missus said she’d only talk ta ya. She said you might recognize her from a job ya did a month ago… she… said it was urgent… umm Reno,.. Sir..”


Reno stood still for a minute watching her face and reading her feelings. The concern and fear was real. This woman was scared of his reaction. He smiled. Good. But didn’t make sense of anything she’d said. “What the hell you talkin bout woman… thought I was pickin up a kid like normal?” He said in a way to feign a ‘don’t ask the messanger’ attitude.


“Um.. you see Reno.. no. This was a personal request. She’s.. in the next room the doc swung by for his normal rounds and checked her too. And…. “She bit her lip again. “You best see ta her… then you’ll see.” She said redundantly. And with a motion she walked towards the far left door to the main bedroom where new Kid’s usually awaited exams from the ‘Doc’ that Son paid to service the kids that they had coming in. Making sure there was no diseases spread around and they all had a mostly clear bill of health overall.


“Fine” he ground out. Then followed the woman into the even darker bedroom. The woman instantly turned around and left out the door she’d held for Reno to enter. She obviously wanted no part of what Reno had to do.


His eyes adjusted quickly and he sought out the source of fear in the room that had struck him the moment he’d entered. A mature woman laid on the bed with a raggedy blanket covering her. She had something wrapped around her arm and it looked like her left hand was completely missing. There was bandaging or at least some fabric wrapped tightly around her chest as well and her dark skin didn’t cover the fact that she looked next to completely drained of blood. She was barely breathing. Obviously she was dying. So when a croaky voice called out from her mouth Reno was slightly startled.


“You… you’re the red head I saw a’fore. You must remember me, ya?” she called to Reno. But Reno didn’t say anything he couldn’t place her face. She continued as if she knew he wouldn’t know her. “I helped those men with getting through to the upper plate. Member that son?”


Reno recalled a woman helping them get up through the plate, last month. She was a lovely dark woman… a foreigner in search of her elder son who’d fallen on hard times and ended up living in the slums with very little income from her sewn goods. But she could get to the upper plate being from having a foreign ID. So by using the two men that Reno sent up as her ‘Helpers’ They got up through without a problem, and got the shipment that they needed that time. The woman hadn’t asked any questions at all. Simply helped. And she was known for helping at their ‘home’ as well.


“I remember ya” Reno stated very simply.


“Good” Reno felt the rooms air lift slightly as the woman breathed that word. “I know ya don do this but for me…ya will, ya?” The woman struggled for breath for a moment. “Ma son, he’s young but… ya can have ‘im ‘elp ya…then find a good place fer ‘im ta work, ya?” Then a coughing fit seized her. Despite how she tried Reno could see her coughing up blood.


Son? Reno reached out and wondered why he didn’t feel it at first. He spun around to see a young boy cowering in the corner. His fear completely palpable, but it had been drowned out by the mothers own emotions. The little boy had a creamier complexion than what the mother had the last time Reno had seen her. He looked up at Reno then, like he knew he’d been seen. His damp eyes widened.


Reno watched the boy with slight interest. But when he locked gazes with the little one and the most beautiful and pure hazel eyes gazed into his own sea blue-green, he saw such an innocence. A Fear, and a vulnerability. This child didn’t belong here. He belonged in his mother’s arms still. He was what, 10 years old, maybe 11. Reno knew that he himself wasn’t much older. But he’d been hardened from life from the start. This boy’d been raised the way a child should have been.


He shook his head sadly. The boy belonged with some sort of family. “Ma’am… this boy needs family, not me.” Reno stated bluntly.


“No family… ‘is older brother. May one day find ‘im… but we cant find his brother now. And no one else…” Her words weren’t making as much sense.


Reno could figure that she meant there was an older brother, but… that’s right, the woman had come to the city in search of an elder son. Must be she’d still not found him. So… maybe the brother would come looking for him. Reno looked back at the boy. The boy couldn’t just stay here… Son wouldn’t have that.


The woman spoke up again… this time much weaker in her words. “’is name’s Aiden” The boy stood up at the sound of his name, though still shrugged in the corner. “Keep ‘im till he can be of use at a good job. Jus promise me…. Promise me you’ll place him somewhere the safest ya can sir….” She gasped a little.


Reno knew it was nearing her end. “Yeah… I’ll do my best ma’am.” He bowed his head.


“Ma…” a soft voice of the boy called out and he stepped towards the bed, as the woman was gasping for air.


Reno reached out with a lean and strong arm to stop and shroud the boy from seeing this. He shouldn’t have been in the room. Reno turned to face the corner the boy’d come from. And turned the boy to look him right in the eye. He wanted to drown out the sounds of the last air trying to taken in by the dying woman. Her struggle noble and valiant for a woman so weak from bloodloss.


“Aiden huh?” Reno tipped the boys face up to look at him. He was about a foot shorter than Reno and so much more petite and smaller of a build. He had soft feathery hair parted down the center that hung in his eyes, the color of coffee. His skin was cold to the touch as Reno set his hands on the boys shoulders. “We need to get you in some warmer clothes, and…” He looked over the extremely thin frame. “Somethin ta eat too, yo…” He finished and turned the boy towards the door of the now silent room, he didn’t want the boy to turn around.


The boy’s entire body was shaking. Probably more in fear than cold. But Reno walked out into the office and placed his coat around the boys shoulders. The woman he’d spoken to upon arriving was there, as was another of the home’s ‘Mothers’


“Yo, get this boy some food in the kitchen, I’ll get ‘im in a minute” Reno called to the newer arrival. But turned back to the first woman as the boy was led out towards the kitchen of the home. “What the HELL happened to her!?” Reno asked in a very angry tone without raising his voice to loudly.


“Reno… Sir… She’d been ‘Questioned’ by someone. We think it was Poachers. She claimed they were asking her about her involvement with our organization. She barely made it here alive this morning. That’s… all I know… sir” Her worried tone and honest emotions told Reno she was indeed being truthful.


Poachers… they wanted Eyes Shut out of the picture. They wanted to do business in this neck of the woods. They were from out of town. They WOULD do something like that. In fact, what had been done to the woman was actually humane for them.


“Anything on a name… or history?” Reno asked in hopes they knew something about her from her helping out some.


When all that came out of her was a shake of her head she bit her lip again and clutched a file she’d been holding to her chest. “What will we…?” She stopped at pleaded Reno with her eyes.


“I’m takin him. Let Son know that I got the kid, and will explain when I return. And if there are any new kids, the next run will be in 4 days. So be in touch.” Reno finished up like it was a normal transaction. He was already walking towards the kitchen.


He motioned for Aiden to come to him. The boy held a piece of read in his hands. “You can eat while we walk Aiden” He reassured the boy when he saw the question in his eyes.


As Reno left the home he shook his head when the men he’d come with offered to take the boy. “Naw… he’s with me… no one else touched ‘im ya hear me?” He commanded.

Aiden walked along with Reno till they hit a transport truck for that particular sector that they used. And when they got inside and Reno sat with the boy in side, Aiden finished the bread then looked up at Reno with pleading eyes. “Ma’s with the planet isn’t she?” His soft and sweet voice called to Reno.


Reno pressed his lips together to keep from showing any emotion. So much in his own past flooded back as he looked into the slowly filling eyes. The boy was holding back tears so valiantly. “Yeah…” Reno replied as softly as he could.


Aiden threw himself at the red head. Wrapping his arms tight around Reno’s waist and burying his face in Reno’s chest. He was crying silently. No sound escaped the boys lips. And he rubbed his face against Reno’s chest like Kit would do when he wanted reassuring.


Reno held Aiden with one arm and with the other hand he stroked the boys velvety hair. He just sat there stunned for the longest time.


“Shit-fuck…” He half whispered. “What did I do…” He looked down at the boy that was relaxing in his arms now slowly drifting to sleep. The kid was completely worn out. What in hell for Gaia’s sakes was he thinking…..

~~~End Chapter~~~

A/N: well… I normally listen to Gackt… Hyde… or Hyde’s bands Larc en Ciel or VAMPS lately… been in a major Hyde mood recentl… but tonight I wanted to listen to Acid Black Cherry…. And My God!!! It was perfect for this chapter. Once I finally got past my rut I wrapped it up swiftly. I mean I loved their stuff.. and the singers other band Janne Da Arc is good too. But ABC really did it for me tonight! Yay. So you can thank them that this chapter got here. :P


This chapter was due to be done and uploaded to the story last night…. I’m such a bad girl… I think I discipline… from Seph or Gen… *purrs* hehe… naw. Just kidding. They only need to discipline each other and I’ll be happy and behave. Muahaha.


Well.. I’ll get right to work on ch 17 tomorrow. I’m POOPED! I think I may be coming down with a cold. I slept for almost 12 hours straight last night… this morning… ugh. Not good.


Ahh well! Ta ta!