New Blood

The moment that Kerri laughed was the moment Reno realized that he did want her.  Up until then his flirting had been a matter of habit.  Put a pretty girl in front of him, he flirted.  If it went somewhere, great.  If it didn't, well, there was always another girl.  But her laugh was great.  Low, genuine, as smooth and sweet as a shot of amaretto, just the sound caused him to harden slightly.  He studied her while her attention was focused on Rude.  Tseng had been right, she was pretty.  A bit taller than Elena, she had long, chestnut colored  hair pulled back in a neat braid.  Big blue eyes, which was another one of his weaknesses when it came to women.  Impossible to tell much about her body since she was wearing the loose-fitting Academy uniform, but he bet she had some curves hidden under there.  Yeah, he wanted her.



He shook himself out of his dirty thoughts when he realized Tseng was leading her toward the door.  “Say, Kerri,” he called, and she looked back over her shoulder expectantly.  “It's a real pleasure to have you here.  I can't wait to see more of you,” he drawled in his most sensual tone.  He was rewarded by another blush and a smile before she and Tseng left the room.  He chose to ignore the dark look Tseng shot at him.



He sat back down on the sofa and let his long legs sprawl in front of him.  “What?” he asked Rude, who was shaking his head.



“You never waste time, do you?” his partner replied.



“Nope.  Not like you or Elena.  When I want somebody, I go for it, yo.”  He smirked when he saw he'd managed to make Rude blush.  The silent man always blushed when he was reminded of his crush on Tifa.  Reno couldn't understand why Rude didn't just go for it, or why Elena didn't just go for Tseng for that matter.  To him, sex was sex.  Deeper emotions were reserved for his friends, for his teammates.  Romance was something he didn't have much use for.  Elena always told him that one day it would hit him like Cloud's sword through his chest, but he never believed her.  She was a chick, of course she believed in that romantic crap.  He was more practical.



Suddenly he got up and crossed to the door.  “Think I'll go see if Tseng needs any help,” he told Rude.  The other Turk just sighed, recognizing the futility of arguing with him right now.



************



By that evening, Kerri was installed in her new apartment and was delighted with it.  Finally, a place of her own! Privacy!  Something that was in short supply in the Academy dormitories.  Only one bedroom, but of course that's all she needed.  She had an actual kitchen and a bathroom of her own.  No more waiting in line for a shower.  The living room was large and airy, furnished with a good sized futon, a coffee table, and several bookshelves.  No television, that was something she'd have to provide for herself.  Her bedroom was wonderful, with a full sized bed, walk-in closet that still looked empty after her few clothes had been put away, and a row of windows that made it seem even larger.  Of course, it was right next to Reno's apartment.  Kerri had pretended not to notice the gleeful smirk on his face when Tseng had told her which place was hers.  



She had spent several hours in Tseng's office answering questions and filling out paperwork.  Shinra kept detailed records about the Turks' backgrounds, though it was all kept confidential.  Tedious and boring, it seemed to take more out of her than fighting did, even though Tseng was very considerate, having water, fruit juice, and sandwiches sent to the office and allowing her to take breaks once in a while.  She learned that she was not to communicate with anyone outside Shin-Ra headquarters until Tseng allowed it.  "For now, we're your family, we're your friends." the dark-haired man said.  He allowed, even encouraged her to ask questions.  Kerri was losing her anxiety around him and beginning to like him.  Still, she wished he would finish soon.



However, Tseng's efforts to finish efficiently were hampered by Reno.  He was irrepressible, seizing any excuse to come into Tseng's office, supposedly to ask work related questions, but in reality to stare at Kerri.  The first couple of times she tried staring him down, but this proved impossible.  Whenever she met his eyes, he would give her a suggestive wink that made her blush.  Ignoring him was also impossible, since he managed to insinuate himself directly into her field of vision by standing beside Tseng.  Even after Tseng finally lost his patience and snapped at the redhead to get out and stay out, his good humor was not affected in the slightest.  He ambled out the door, trailing his fingers briefly across Kerri's bare forearm as he went.  Tseng got up and locked the door behind him, but a while later Reno knocked, calling that Rude needed to ask a question.  Immediately afterwards they heard Rude's deep voice saying "No, Rude doesn't."



"I'm getting my gun, Reno!" the dark haired Turk yelled.



Reno merely laughed, saying "OK, Tseng.  You win, yo."  He had left them alone after that.  Apparently he knew how far his superior could be pushed.



*****



Over the next two weeks, Kerri was kept busier than she would have believed possible.  Mornings were spent in Rude's office as he trained her how to complete the endless paperwork, how to use the computer, and learning everything that the Turks knew about the various Anti-Shin-Ra terrorist groups, especially GALEFORCE.  Reno was a frequent visitor at these times, and a big distraction to Kerri.  Every time he was in the room, her heart sped up and she found it hard to concentrate.  It took all her self-discipline to hide her attraction to him, but he never bothered trying to hide his for her.  If not for Rude chasing him from the office once he got fed up, she thought she just might melt under Reno's constant compliments and innuendos.  



Afternoons were spent in the basement, sparring with either Elena or Rude to hone her skills.  The first few days, the senior Turks wiped the floor with her, but Kerri was a fast learner and steadily improved.  The first time she managed to take Rude down, she was so pleased with herself that she danced around the mat, earning a smile from the normally reserved man, who then immediately swept her legs out from under her while she was distracted.  “Always be on your guard,” he told her in an amused tone.



Her biggest problem with sparring practice was learning to fight in the Turk uniforms.  Though tailor made for her, they were more confining than the soft, loose Academy uniforms.  But, as Elena kept telling her, if they could do it, so could she.  Little by little she grew accustomed to the suit; soon she was able to fight normally while wearing it.



Reno also attended many of these practice sessions, though he wasn't allowed to help train her.  As Tseng said, Reno's fighting style worked well for him, but it wasn't something that could be taught.  Reno claimed that Tseng just didn't want him copping a feel under the guise of training her, which was probably closer to the truth.  Even so, Kerri grew to look forward to his visits.  During breaks, she always sat and rested on the floor, and Reno would drag a chair up to sit behind her, giving her pointers, telling jokes to make her laugh, and massaging her aching shoulders.  She felt a guilty pride that he so obviously wanted her, but kept telling herself it was impossible.  It would be all too easy to fall for Reno; the last thing she needed was a broken heart.  



Still, she enjoyed his company immensely.  His good humor was infectious, and he loved to make her laugh.  Though Kerri didn't realize it, this was a calculated move on his part to break down her defenses.  Reno was an expert judge of womens' emotions, and he could tell that Kerri would be no easy lay.  That was fine by him.  He was growing a bit tired of fucking women that offered him no challenge whatsoever; Kerri was a welcome change.  And besides, the more time he spent with her, the more he actually liked her.  She was friendly, warm, with a great sense of humor.  She genuinely laughed at his jokes, unlike the women who pretended to laugh to flatter him.



Though Reno still went out drinking sometimes, he had fallen into the habit of staying home more often.  The women who hung out in bars just didn't appeal to him that much anymore.  He wanted Kerri in his bed; anyone else would be a poor substitute.  But so far he hadn't even managed to get her into his apartment, let alone his bedroom.



That changed one day when he overheard her talking to Elena, saying that she wished she had saved enough money to buy a television.  She said she liked to read, but that it got lonely and boring at night without anything else to occupy her time.



“You know, you're welcome to come over to my place and watch tv with me,” Reno said, joining the conversation.  “I promise to behave myself,” he continued, his eyes twinkling.



“I don't know, Reno,” Kerri answered.  Alone with him in his apartment?  The thought was far too tempting, and it had nothing to do with television.  “I thought you went out at night.”



“I don't have to go anywhere,” he said quickly.  “Come on, I just want to get to know you better, yo.”  



“I'll bet,” Elena snorted.



“Shut up, Lei Lei,” he said.  “I didn't mean like that...well, not just like that.  What do you say, Kerri?”



Kerri hesitated, looked at Elena who just shrugged, and decided to throw caution to the wind.  “All right, Reno.  I appreciate it.”  



Reno quickly wiped the triumphant expression from his face.  “Cool.  Tonight, then?  After work?”



“Sure.  See you tonight.”  Kerri smiled, hoping she wasn't blushing too much for once.



Reno gave her a little wave and left the sparring room, grinning.  Just outside the door he met Rude who was on his way in.  “What are you so happy about?” his partner asked.



“Kerri's coming over to my place tonight,” Reno said.



“Oh?”



“Yeah.  Just to watch tv, though.  For now,” he said roguishly.



“Hmm.  So you think you'll be able to find your television in that rat nest you call home?” Rude asked.



“Oh, shit, I forgot about that,” the redhead said, thinking of his messy apartment.  “Guess I better go pick the place up, you think?”



“It might help,” Rude said dryly.  “We don't want her to get lost.  Search parties are tedious.”