Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Outsider ❯ Attractions ( Chapter 2 )

------Attractions

 

Three days later after the incident Veld had sent his remaining Turks out to look for candidates for the organization. Several contenders were cadets training to be in SOLDIER and other ShinRa troopers, but despite their previous schooling, these men and women still had to go under Turk training.

 

“Mr. Veld?”

 

“Yes Tseng?”

 

“I wanted to talk to you about a candidate for the Turks.”

 

“I'm listening,” replied the Turk leader as he leaned on his office chair.

 

“This person has exceptional shooting skills and agility. Though…”

 

“What? What is the problem?”

 

“This person is from the slums.”

 

“Does that even matter, Tseng? You are from Wutai, yet you are the best Turk I've seen in many years. Origin does not matter when it has to do with our kind of job. As far as I'm concerned, this person may have better survival skills than the rest of the candidates. However, I will tell you this: you are fully responsible for what this candidate does. Bringing someone from the slums can be a risk. They could be mentally unstable or even treacherous. Remember that Tseng: he or she is your responsibility.”

 

“Yes I understand, Mr. Veld.”

 

“Now what does this person do? And how did you come across his or her skills?”

 

With a straight face Tseng answered, “He's in a gang and I saw his abilities on that mission that killed James and Lawrence.”

 

Veld was a very experienced man and knew when someone was lying or not. However whenever it involved Tseng, he could not tell. Tseng was a very good liar, and how he managed to keep his face and eyes sincere and innocent was beyond the Turk leader's reason. But since Tseng had never failed him and his lies were never caught, Veld gave him full trust, in no way the benefit of the doubt.

 

“I see… very well being him over. Just remember what I said though.”

 

“I will Mr. Veld.”

 

----Wall Market Slums

 

A small group of people that consisted of both males and females were dancing in a dead end alley. The only source of music was an old, beat-up sitar played skillfully by a young man in his twenties nicknamed Dice. Some of the dancers sang impromptu lyrics and even made a small contest against one another in jest. There was not a care in the world. Yesterday and tomorrow did not exist; the only thing that mattered was today. Life was perfect, even if it lasted for a few minutes.

 

Dice stopped playing his instrument after be became weary. “Yo, someone else play!”

 

“No one plays like you!” replied a random voice.

 

“I didn't ask fo' yo' opinion, fucker,” answered Dice.

 

Dice was a twenty-three-year old thief. His skin was a bronze color and he always wore cornrows on his head. He liked to hang around some of the local prostitutes for the sake of having several allies, but also for the ulterior motive of having free sex. Amongst all the whores, Reno was his favorite, both in bed and as a friend.

 

“Yo I'll play.”

 

“Here ya go, Reno,” said Dice handing Reno the sitar. “If you break it, I'll kick yo' ass.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.”

 

“Hey Reno where'd you get that jacket?” asked another thief.

 

“Got it from some asshole. Here I owe you something anyway don't I? Here's my payment so quit bitchin' about my debt, douche fuck.” Reno removed his jacket and gave it to the thief. Luckily he had a shirt underneath, though it was very dirty and worn out. “Hey guess what? I totally ran into this Wuk the other day.”

 

“Fuckin' trash,” spat Dice. “What you doin' with a Wuk? And in Wall Market anyway?”

 

“Son of a bitch was a Turk.” Everyone stood silent. “No, he wasn't after me. He was after that Q asshole.”

 

“Fuckin' Q deserved it.”

 

“Don't I know it?”

 

Just as Reno was about to play the sitar, the small crowd of people huddled around the entry of the dead end. Everyone began to whisper and look towards the entrance. There was a very fancy and expensive black car parked near the alley. The owner of the car came out along with his passenger.

 

Someone shrieked, “It's the Turks!”

 

The thieves and prostitutes began to scatter away from the alley, running for their lives. Reno immediately got up and ran with the sitar in his hand, but before he could even escape the dead end, the two Turks had already blocked the exit. This did not stop the redhead from running though. He lifted the sitar above his head, swinging it furiously, heading straight for Tseng's direction. Just as he reached the Wutanese, he swiftly twirled away from Tseng's clutches and hit Rude square in the face with all his might. He now had an exit. Reno jumped over Rude's body and made a run for it. At that instant, Tseng chased the boy and no sooner than a minute caught him by the hair.

 

Reno's thin body nearly flipped backwards at the sudden grab of his tresses. “Ah fuck!”

 

Tseng took that moment to pin Reno to the wall and place handcuffs over his wrists. “Stay still and you won't get hurt.”

 

“Yo momma sucks dicks in hell!”

 

The Turk shoved Reno's frail body against the wall, not at all concerned at the cry of pain that the redhead yelped. “My mother is alive and well thank you.”

 

“Let me go! I didn't do nothing!”

 

“By that you are saying that you did do something. Now calm down or I'll let Rude have his way with you.”

 

“Who's Rude?”

 

“That big guy you hit with that sitar.”

 

“Shit,” he mumbled as he let his forehead rest against the wall. “What the fuck did I do?”

 

“Nothing, but now you did do something after attacking Rude.”

 

“Yo, are you gonna arrest me or what? Came for that ten gil special I was offering you?” the boy chuckled.

 

“Do not flatter yourself, street whore. I am a Turk, and professionals such as I do not accept offers from sluts like you.”

 

“You make it seem like I wanna be a slut, yo. `Sides what the fuck do you want? I do have a schedule too, ya ass wipe.”

 

Tseng slammed Reno's head against the wall.

 

“Fuckin' A man!”

 

“I just want to have a simple chat with you, but you're making this more difficult than it already is.”

 

“Fine, whadya want?”

 

“First off, I want your full cooperation, and secondly, I have an offer you cannot possibly refuse.”

 

“All right, all right! Just let me go and I'll listen to whatever crap you gotta say.”

 

Tseng thought for a few seconds before he unlocked the handcuffs and let go of Reno. At first he suspected Reno to flee, but instead the boy turned around and leaned his back against the wall to get a better view.

 

“Let's start over,” said Tseng. “My name is Tseng Hui, and as you obviously know, I am in the Turks.”

 

“Name's Reno and I think you already know what I do for a living.”

 

“You don't have a last name?”

 

“I forgot it.”

 

Just as Tseng was about to make a comment Rude suddenly was at his side. “Ah yes Rude, meet Reno. This is the boy that killed all those bodyguards and the gang leader.”

 

Reno laughed nervously at Rude, as he adverted his gaze from the tall, bald man in dark shades. “Uh yeah, sorry for hitting ya with the sitar man.”

 

“…”

 

“Rude, I want to talk to Reno alone. I will meet you at headquarters before the day ends.”

 

Rude nodded and walked back to the car without saying a word. Reno sighed in relief when the bald Turk had left. He was afraid that Rude would beat him up for the whole sitar incident. It was a dirty trick, but it was the only thing Reno could think of to escape.

 

“Now that we are alone, I will tell you my offer. Do you have a house?”

 

“Err… sorta.”

 

“Can you take me there?”

 

“Sure, whatever,” replied Reno.

 

The two began to walk in silence as they journeyed to the prostitute's home. Both men had their distinct walk, Tseng with his straight professional gait, and Reno with his poor posture and street-smart demeanor. But despite the major differences between the two, there was some sort of attraction each had for one another.

 

As Reno lead the way to his home, Tseng closely followed behind, looking at Reno's back. The Turk had to admit that the boy was very attractive, despite him being a bit malnourished. He secretly wondered how it would be like to sleep with someone as young as Reno. The boy had to be at least fifteen, and even then, he was breaking the law. Midgar laws state that one must be sixteen to give out consent for sex, but one had to be eighteen to be a legal adult. It seemed somewhat strange to Tseng that being legally old enough to have sex did not mean legal adulthood. In Wutai, the age of sexual consent always meant that the person was a legal adult. But he was not going to compare the two at the moment. Tseng had a job to do and there was no way he was going to fail Veld.

 

“So…what do you want from me?”

 

Tseng's eyes stopped staring at Reno's backside and rose to face the back of his head. “First answer me why you don't remember your last name. Never mind, you must have been abandoned.”

 

“Hey fucktard, I ain't abandoned! I'm a fuckin' orphan!”

 

The Wutanese's eyebrow arched up in curiosity. “Please enlighten me with the difference.”

 

“For one,” the redhead replied as he walked backwards to look at the Turk, “orphans aren't as common as abandoned kids yo. You gotta lose all your parents to be an orphan. Being abandoned doesn't mean your parents are dead, dumbass.”

 

Reno turned around and finally made it to his home. It was a very old abandoned-looking home with a lot of wood over the broken windows and large holes in the walls. Tseng was mortified at the thought that people actually lived in such appalling conditions, but he kept to himself so as not to insult Reno again.

 

The boy kicked the door opened and yelled, “I'M HOME!” and proceeded to walk to his room.

 

“How many people actually live here?”

 

“Nine, including me. This is where my pimp makes his hoes live. It has some stuff like water, but it's still shit. Like the heater is only on at day. I mean what the fuck man? Who turns on a fuckin' heater at day and not night? Anyway we just huddle together with blankets and sleep, so it's not too bad I guess.”

 

“How old were you when you were orphaned?”

 

“Nine years old. My dad died in a construction accident when I was five. My mom had to get two jobs and lived with my grandparents. So yeah she died in a shooting and my old peeps were killed a few months after that in a riot.”

 

“I'm sorry to hear that,” answered Tseng.

 

“You don't have to feel sorry for me, especially when you don't mean it.”

 

“What if I truly meant it?”

 

“Wasn't going to make a difference. They're all dead and nothing's gonna change that. All I have left is what they taught me, so I'm gonna just respect that.”

 

Reno sat on an old car seat that was made for three. This was probably his bed and perhaps something else that the Turk did not care to think about. The boy crossed his legs and rested his head against the top of the seat's cushion.

 

“Yo, aren't you gonna sit?”

 

“I prefer to stand.”

 

“I don't have sex on this seat if that's what you're wondering.”

 

“No I'm fine the way I am, thank you.”

 

“Suit yourself,” Reno said while putting up his legs on the rest of the seat. “So what is this offer that I can't possibly refuse?”

 

“I want you to join the Turks.”

 

“Whoa, what was that? Dude, don't fuck around like that yo. The last time someone promised me something that meant going to the Plate died.” He laughed softly. “It was my first pimp. Goddamn son of a bitch. You guys took care of his sorry ass.”

 

“You mean the Turks?” asked Tseng as he quirked his eyebrow in doubt.

 

“Yeah, you guys. He was trying to smuggle some drugs or something, and then y'all made him eat lead.”

 

“What a nice way to put it,” said Tseng with a blank expression in his face and voice.

 

Reno suddenly stood up and placed his hands on his hips. “Look, whadya really want?

 

“I want you to join the Turks.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I believe you have what it takes to become an excellent Turk.”

 

“What a nice way to put it: Turk. Just call me an assassin or hit man, or even a black op. I'm not that stupid.”

 

“Fine. It's whatever you want it to be called, but that still doesn't change that you have the skill.”

 

The redhead grinned, “I got skills that kills. You ain't gonna find a killer whore like me anywhere else. So… you really meant what you said?”

 

“Why would I lie?”

 

“I dunno. To sleep with me for free?”

 

Tseng rolled his eyes. “Why should I do that when I have perfectly good inferiors at ShinRa that want to have sex with me?”

 

“Good point, but I betcha that they ain't as young as me. You like'em young, don't ya?”

 

The Wutanese cleared his throat uncomfortably. “There is nothing wrong with having preference to people one or two years younger than yourself.”

 

“Dude, but your case is different. And don't say I'm lying, cuz in my line of work you start learning how to distinguish people. I've been doing this shit for seven years, Mr. Turk man. I think I know a pervert when I see one yo.”

 

The elder chose to ignore the boy's comment and looked at Reno strangely, as he arched his eyebrow again. “How old are you Reno?”

 

“I turned sixteen like two weeks ago. I'm finally legal for this damn job.”

 

“I see… I presumed that you were younger by your height and physique.”

 

“You sound a bit disappointed on how old I am.”

 

“I'm not,” he countered, his temper beginning to arise. “Take a good look at yourself, street whore. Of course I was going to assume you were younger, you look like a goddamn skeleton.”

 

Reno looked down at his tattered sneakers and made his big toe peer out of a large hole on the material. “Geez, you're not fair at all yo.” His glare began to escalate at the Turk's handsome face. “Can't even get that fucking stick out of your ass, huh?”

 

“Look you little brat,” snarled Tseng. He grabbed Reno by the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. “I'm giving you a chance to prove your worth at ShinRa and have a fucking possibility to live on the Plate. Do you have any idea how many people in this dump dream of living up there? You're so ungrateful. I wonder how many times opportunity has knocked on your door and you being such a cocky son of a bitch, let it fly away.”

 

Getting his courage back, Reno pushed Tseng away as hard as his strength could allow. “You don't fucking call my mom a bitch, you dirty Wuk. You don't fucking know what my mother had to go through after my father died. Yeah I had the opportunity to leave this hellhole and have a new life in Kalm, except my grandparents got killed. You've got a lot of nerve to come right over here and tell me to join your little club then later then blow your fucking lid over a stupid comment!”

 

The urchin's face was beginning to turn a little red. His breathing was fast and shallow; all that yelling had made him short of breath. He swallowed a few times before getting the energy to speak again. “Shit. You need to get a sense of humor yo. I was only playing around anyway. …And I'm sorry for calling you a dirty Wuk. It just slipped, ya know?”

 

“Okay,” answered Tseng with a long sigh as he leaned against the wall and rubbed his temples. “Maybe this was just a bad idea. Reno perhaps you're not really made for being a Turk.”

 

“Aww don't be such a spoilsport either. I mean I'm all for leaving this place and the life I'm living too. I just wanted to know if you were for real. Just give me another chance okay? Please? Please? I'll sucky sucky you for free.”

 

“Don't do that,” Tseng said while looking away from Reno. “I don't appreciate the Wutai remarks.”

 

Reno lazily walked towards Tseng and wrapped his arms around the Turk's neck. The elder did try to protest and push the street boy away from him, but since it was done with little effort, the boy got the message that Tseng didn't mind the physical contact or proximity.

 

“Okay, I'll stop with the Wutai stuff. But how about we make a deal?”

 

“What sort of deal?”

 

There was a somewhat long pause after he had said this. Tseng moved his head and looked down to see Reno smelling his jacket. It was going to be a long day indeed.

 

“Mmm you smell all nice and clean…”

 

“Reno.”

 

“Oh yeah well, if you give me something to eat, cuz I'm fuckin' starving over here, I'll join the Turks. While I'm at it, I'll offer some head, but for free.”

 

“It's a deal, but I will pass with the fellatio.”

 

“Eh?”

 

“Fellatio is the correct term for saying blow job.”

 

“Oh! … Anyway, I know you want it. You're saying no, but I'll let it be,” replied Reno, playing with Tseng's ponytail as he did three nights ago. “Meow… has anyone told you that you got awesome hair yo?”

 

“Yes, many times.”

“Well hear again: you got awesome hair yo.”

 

Tseng smiled softly and ruffled his hand over Reno's bright red hair. “You're still a kid, aren't you?”

 

“A lotta my childhood was stolen and shit you can't imagine happened to me, but hey I'm still a happy guy, so it's okay. It's all a matter of finding something to hold onto.”

 

“You speak a lot better than all the other people from the streets.”

 

Reno slipped away from Tseng's body and went back to the seat. “I already told you I'm a fuckin' orphan yo. Which means that I had some- what's that word that means people raised you?”

 

“Upbringing?”

 

“Yeah that's it. Well yeah, I had a family for nine years of my life. I had to learn something from that. I may not have enough schooling, but sure as hell I know how to talk. The only reason I talk like some street rat around people from the slums is cuz it's my way of surviving. They hear you talking all proper and shit, and hell be upon ya. And I ain't talking about getting beat up. I'm talking about being beaten to near death, mugged, raped, shanked, and all that good stuff.”

 

“Shanked?”

 

“Shank's a word we use down hear that means to stab. But it's not like a clean stab. Oh no, it's those stabs when you twist and turn with a dirty rusty ass knife or whatever you're using to stab. I shanked some customers before, but that's cuz those douche fucks didn't want to pay.”

 

“I see.”

 

“Makes you uncomfortable being `round me huh? Don't worry, yo. I'm not gonna bite. Oh speaking of bite, where are you gonna take me to eat?”

 

“We'll see.”

 

“That's cool. I haven't eaten in like… two days.”

 

-----Wall Market Diner

 

The two had walked for at least ten minutes until they found the diner that Reno was talking about. He had said that it had the best food and was the cleanest in all of Wall Market. Tseng was very skeptical at the boy's claims, but he found out that the restaurant was actually decent for a slum establishment.

 

After finding a seat and ordering drinks, Reno began to look at the menu hungrily while munching on some of the tortilla chips with salsa on the table. There were a few moments where the redhead would look above his menu to look at Tseng, and then peer back to his own. The Turk was not at all hungry, but he only looked at the menu just to be polite. Once he convinced himself that he was not going to get anything, he placed the menu on the table and took a sip of the drink that the waitress had placed a few moments ago.

 

“Are you ready to order hun?” asked the waitress.

 

“Not yet,” Reno replied under the menu. “Come back in five minutes.”

 

Resting his forehead on his hand, Tseng sighed in annoyance at the boy's response and began to regret even considering Reno as a Turk candidate. He looked to see his nominee and prayed he was not doing something stupid. Two curious blue eyes met Tseng's, whilst a skinny long arm reached for the chip basket and dipped it in salsa. The expression on the Wutanese's face never changed as the boy turned his attention to the small snack and ate it with much enthusiasm.

 

Just as Tseng was about to comment on the time, Reno put down his menu and flipped it upside down so the elder could read. “What does this say?”

 

Without a second thought, Tseng immediately looked at the word Reno was pointing at and answered his question. “Salisbury steak.”

 

“Oh okay,” and took the menu back.

 

Suddenly the Turk's brain registered what was wrong with that scene. “Reno can you read?”

 

“Yeah, but not that good.”

 

“…how are your writing skills?”

 

“Shitty.”

 

“Be a little bit more specific.”

 

“My reading is better than my writing. How `bout that?”

 

A chilling sensation of failure and disgust began to course itself through Tseng's veins. He was utterly mortified that Reno had no established reading and writing, and just thinking about how his math abilities were made the Turk want to walk away and never look at the boy ever again. Tseng knew that the Turks had to write reports and do some other written assignments. However even if Reno proved himself an excellent Turk, Veld would never let him take the position because of his lack of basic schooling. But keeping a straight face, he was able to disguise is obvious disapproval on the young prostitute's education.

 

“Well we can fix that.”

 

“All right.”

 

Was Reno truly fine with the answer?

 

“Reno. It means that you will have to be taught how to read, write and do math like a child.”

 

“So? It's about time yo, and I don't need no math.”

 

“You are not one to decide that,” said Tseng in a stern voice.

 

“Fuck you, man. Do you even know how much I rock at math? I might have gotten a third grade education, but I know more math than you ShinRa lackeys.”

 

“Very well, I'll take your word for it,” he lied. This prostitute must have thought Tseng was stupid. He was not going to deny that he probably knew basic math because of his job, but anything else above that were just lies.

 

“Okay I'm ready to order ma'am,” replied Reno as the waitress approached them. “I'll have your large cheeseburger with fries. No onions please.”

 

“What about you hun?”

 

“I won't be-”

 

“He'll have the cheese sticks with that spaghetti sauce.”

 

“Marinara,” growled Tseng.

 

“What he said. Thank you ma'am.”

 

When the waitress left the table, Tseng immediately began to reprimand the boy. “You can't just order food for someone else. Especially if that individual didn't want to eat.”

 

“Calm the fuck down already. Sheesh! I just wanted the cheese sticks with that spaghetti sauce.”

 

“Marinara.”

 

“Whatever. It's the same stuff anyway. So quit your whining and just chill. If the food seems a bit pricey, I'll help pay. I rarely go here because I can barely afford their appetizers. That's why I don't go here often.”

 

Tseng was very tempted to laugh at the comment, but seeing it was rude, he managed to keep his usual stoic business face. The prices were very cheap, especially to someone who lived in the Plate. This revelation made the Turk wonder how poor the people of the slums were. However, he shook the thought of after reminding himself that Reno's profession did not bring much money, notably after his procurer took a very high percentage of his profits.

 

“No, I can pay.”

 

“'Kay.”

 

There was a long silence between the two as they waited for their food to arrive. Reno began to pick at his fingernails in hope to remove the dirt. Once the boy seemed satisfied with his nails, he proceeded to tap his fingers on the table. The loud tapping began to grate Tseng's patience, and as much as he tried to keep calm and reserved as Veld would, the drumming began to make his hands twitch in vexation.

 

“Can you stop that?”

 

“Hmm? Oh okay.”

 

A few moments later, the redhead began to swing his legs back and forth under the table. It would not have annoyed Tseng if it were not for the occasional kicks to his shin, in which Reno would immediately apologize and continue his antics. The next kick made the Wutanese almost explode in public.

 

“Reno for the last time: stop it.”

 

“I'm bored.”

 

`Typical of a teenager,' thought Tseng. “Then talk about something.”

 

“I dunno, like what?”

 

Tseng paused for a few seconds and look at the boy's tattoos. “Your marks under your eyes.”

 

“These?” he asked pointing at the red streaks.

 

“Yes those.”

 

“Oh they're just some tattoos I got when I was fourteen. Normally I wouldn't be able to afford something like that, but one of my clients turned out to work at a tattoo parlor. So I just gave him some free head and presto! He gave me free tattoos.”

 

“But why?”

 

Reno shrugged, “I thought it was cool. Anyway I've been meaning to ask ya something.”

 

“Ask away.”

 

“How old are you?”

 

“Twenty-seven, I'll be twenty-eight next month.”

“You look younger.”

 

“So do you. Reno, how many times do you eat a day?”

 

“Uhh…”

 

“A week then.”

 

Reno shrugged, “Sometimes three, sometimes four. Rarely five.”

 

“Very well,” replied Tseng. He knew that before Reno was to be enlisted into the training program, he'd have to go to the hospital and get everything checked. The boy was very thin, possibly over twenty pounds underweight. It was very safe to assume that he was also malnourished, and with that malnourishment comes more problems.

 

“Here ya go hun,” said the waitress as she put down the food. “Enjoy your meal.”

 

At the very moment the woman had left, Reno immediately grabbed his burger and looked at the contents.

 

“Ugh son of a bitch.”

 

“What's wrong with it?” asked the elder.

 

“It has onions. Fuckin' A. I can't have a fucking decent meal, can I?”

 

With a harsh voice, Tseng replied, “Beggars can't be choosers.”

 

“Do you want me puking all over the table?” Reno drew his attention back at the burger. “Shit and it's the diced and mixed with the mustard and lettuce kind. Fuckin' ass hats.”

 

Using one of the knives, the redhead began to scrap the onions and some of the mustard out of the bun. The boy sighed seeing that a lot of the onion had invaded the lettuce. It wasn't that he didn't know the difference between lettuce and onion, but because the restaurant was still a slum establishment, the cook had put the white parts of the vegetable on the hamburger creating an onion-like appearance.

 

“There goes the lettuce…well at least there's tomato.” Reno was about to eat his burger, when he looked at Tseng and saw the annoyed expression on his face. “What's that thing called when you start puking cuz something's down your throat?”

 

“Gag reflex.”

 

“Well because of my job, I hardly have that thing anymore. But if I eat even the tiniest piece of onion, forget about it. I'll be blowing chunks like some fountain. And trust me, it ain't a pretty sight.”

 

As soon as he placed the bun back onto the patty, he began to devour his meal. It took only a few seconds for Tseng to register that the food was about half finished. Reno had eaten all his fries and begun to ransack the cheese sticks that Tseng had “ordered.” Within a few minutes, Reno had finished his meal and drank his large glass of cola. Tseng was stunned.

 

“Ah that hit the spot,” replied the boy as he began to chew on the remaining ice from his drink.

 

“I'm assuming that you'll be accepting my offer now that I fulfilled the deal.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Reno rolled his eyes and swallowed the crushed ice. “Yeah I'll join the Turks. But we gotta go back to my house. I needa get some stuff.”

 

The Wutanese sighed and nodded. He couldn't imagine what exactly someone as poor as Reno could possibly own that was of real value, but he decided to shrug it off, pay the bill, and leave.

 

“Hey are ya sure I can't return the favor or anything like that?” asked Reno as the two walked back to the young urchin's home.

 

“Positively sure.”

 

“No sucky sucky for ten giru?” Reno joked.

 

“What have I told you about-”

 

“Okay, okay. Chill out already, man. You know I didn't mean it, yo. Anyways it's cool that you don't want something from this. It's always been, `I'll do this for you, if you do this for me.' Bastards.”

 

“You talk a lot.”

 

“What else can I do with my mouth? …Wait, don't answer that. Hey, we're here. You can wait out here if ya want.”

 

“I'll wait inside. Do you know if your house has any reception for the cell phone?”

 

Reno scratched his head and thought for a little while. “Uh yeah. I remember that Darnell had to stand over there to talk to his friends or something,” pointing at the exact location.

 

“Thank you,” replied the elder as he walked towards the spot and pulled out his cell from his pocket.

 

Seeing that Tseng was preoccupied with his phone, Reno went to his room to gather his belongings. There was no place where the redhead could have stored any valuables since it would have either been stolen or damaged by the other residents in the house. However, Reno had found a way to avoid any theft by hiding his treasured things under a wooden floorboard. Carefully, he took very precise numbers of steps toward the correct loose plank since many of the boards were already unfastened.

 

“So that's where you keep yo stuff, eh Reno?” replied a voice coming from the window.

 

Reno didn't even bother to turn around to look at the person's face. “Fuck off, Dice.”

 

“Where you goin'?”

 

“Outta this shit hole.”

 

Dice lifted himself onto the windowpane and entered the house. “Dude why?”

 

“For fucks sakes Dice, look at me! I'm a fuckin' cheap whore. And when I ain't a whore, I'm a fucking thief! What kind of life is that!?”

 

“You can be with me. I'll pay off Darnell whatever you owe him.”

 

“I don't owe Darnell fucking shit! He says I do, but I don't. `Sides I can manage to get that bitch killed.”

 

The boy quickly grabbed a shoebox out of the floor and closed the opening. Dice took this as an opportunity to take the container away from the young prostitute, and held it above his head.

 

“Give it back motherfucker!”

 

“Then come live with me!”

 

Reno jumped for the box. “Like hell I would! I get to be in the damn Plate, Dice! I wanna get of here and have a future. Shit why you so selfish?”

 

“It's the Wuk, ain't it?” replied Dice as he lifted the box higher.

 

“The fuck you talkin' about?”

 

“That Turk, dumbass. Ya sucked him off, huh? Fuckin' A, Reno! He's a frickin' Wuk fo' crying out loud!”

 

“And what if I did? Why the shit you care? You know about my job, so stop pretending to be innocent and stuff.”

 

“He could be lyin' to ya! He's a fuckin' pervert Reno. That Wuk is a freaking child molester!”

 

“Oh?” answered the young teen while crossing his arms. “And what does that make you, ass hat? You're seven years older than me, and you still fuck me and other people younger than you!”

 

“It's different, Reno.”

 

“How is it different, huh?”

 

“He's got money. I gotta do things to survive.”

 

“Oh la dee fucking da. At least with that guy I get a promise to have a real job. You ain't given any shit.”

 

Dice lowered his arms. “I give ya money and stuff.”

 

Reno snatched the box and held it close to his chest. “Oh yeah fucking me fo' free is something. And let's not forget the stuff ya take from me. You're no better than Darnell. At least with my pimp I can live in something.”

 

“Reno just don't go,” the thief pleaded.

 

“Whatever, fucker. You knocked up yo girlfriend anyway.”

 

“So? I can just leave that ho.”

 

“Shut up, you dick,” he spat bitterly. “Ceci's an awesome girl. Plus ya can't just leave your kid. That ain't right. Give the kid a future at least! Shit I know I don't got a good job, but I know I'd be there for my kid.”

 

“Reno-”

 

Reno turned so his back would face Dice. “Just go before the dude returns.”

 

It hurt Reno to say goodbye to his friend in that manner. He knew that Dice really did care for him, but he just couldn't let him ruin his future as a Turk, or the unborn child's for that matter. Reno understood how it was like to be without a father, and like him, the redhead was determine to better his life no matter what he had to give up.

 

“Where you talking to someone?” asked Tseng as he entered the room.

 

“What's it to you?” snapped Reno.

 

“There is no need to be rude about it,” replied the Turk as he placed his cell phone into his pocket. “Are you ready?

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Come on, I have a ride waiting for us outside.”

 

“All right.”

 

“Do you have everything?”

 

“Yup,” the boy answered patting his shoebox.

 

“Let's get going then.”

 

-----End of Chapter 2

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please review any comments you have. I appreciate them