Evolution of a Turk

A/N: As you will soon see, I've done a bit of fast-forwarding. Some of this doesn't exactly flow great and I'm sorry. It's a bit rushed, but I was really trying to get this thing done and posted.

Oh, also, I completely agree with a point made in one of my reviews, about how Reno didn't do a whole hell of a lot to get rid of the baby in the beginning. I was actually going to have him try more -- binge drinking and whatnot (Reno, a heavy drinker, no way! =P) Anyway, I was going to have him try that, but obviously, it wouldn't work for him. It was something I just plain didn't do, but I may go back and revise those first couple chapters, because I too think Reno would've done just about anything to get rid of the baby while he could.

Lastly, this one's a little on the fluffy side, at points. Hopefully it isn't too OOC.
So that makes MPREG, language, and what I hope is mild fluff. ;)

Disclaimer: The Final Fantasy VII characters, locations, etc. are all property of Square-Enix. I own nothing, I just do this for fun.

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

"Picked out a name yet?" Elena asked.

Reno grimaced.

"You're running out of time."

"Shut the hell up."

"There's an old tradition," she began. "I don't know where it originated. But you name your child something you don't want for them."

"Huh?"

"Something that means...I don't know, sorrowful, or unlucky. You'd never call them something that meant happy."

"Whatever." Reno brushed his friend off.

"You're eight months pregnant. You really need to start thinking about this. You're having a baby soon, whether you like it or not."

"Not," Reno interrupted.

"Well," Elena paused and looked down, "that's a real shame."

"How the fuck do you figure?"

"Because you're doing an amazing job of it."

Reno's eyes widened; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"I'm not. You've just...well, I don't know if I can put it into words, but I think...I think there are forces at work here far beyond all of us."

"Oh, don't give me this 'it was your destiny, Reno' bullshit. It was bad luck. Bad fucking luck. Inconveniences and missed opportunities. Mad scientist and a dead Ancient. You don't really think this is gonna turn out okay, do you?" Reno asked, genuinely curious.

The blonde stared at the floor.

"Holy shit, you do," Reno concluded, sounding as though he had a headache. "Goddamn, you're naive sometimes."

Elena swallowed hard, still staring intensely at the carpet. She didn't know whether to hug Reno, hit him, or just stand up and walk away.

"Alright, alright. If it's that important to you..." He paused and pulled a coin from his pocket. "I'll name the thing. I'll even abide by your dumbass tradition. Heads, it's 'Ugly,' tails, it's 'Stupid.'"

"Reno," Elena gave him a stern look, but her eyes were twinkling.

His eyes were twinkling too. He flipped the coin. He caught it in his left hand and placed it on top of his right. He unveiled the coin, then looked up at Elena. "Well, that settles it."

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

It was the middle of the day and the TV was on. Reno and Rude sat next to one another on the couch. Reno had a carton of milk in one hand and a box of Choco Puffs in the other. He hadn't bothered with a bowl and spoon, stating A) he was planning on eating the whole box of cereal, B) he didn't feel like washing any dishes, and C) if anyone had a problem with him drinking milk from the carton, they could blow him.

"Reno?" Rude called out, seeing Reno set down the milk carton in favor of the remote.

"Hey... check it out," the redhead murmured, seeming interested in something on TV.

"Reno," Rude called out again, more firmly.

"Hmm?" he asked, mouth full.

It was quiet for a moment, save for any sounds coming from the television, and Reno's occasional crunching. Rude just shook his head. He wasn't quite sure how to say what he wanted to say. "Did you ever think you'd be where you are right now?"

"Right now?" Reno asked, with a smirk. "No. Can't say that I did. If you'd told me a year ago, that right now I'd be knocked up, livin' in bumfucked Mideel, sittin' on the couch in the middle of the day, eating cereal out of the box and watching Costan soaps while some giant rock's about to end the world..."

"Damn, we're pathetic," Rude concluded.

"Speak for yourself," Reno said, feigning offense. He went to bring the cereal box to his mouth for another "bite," and ended up dropping a few "puffs." He was quick to scoop each and every "puff" up from the couch cushion, declaring, "Five-second rule!" as he popped the morsels into his already full mouth.

Rude couldn't help but laugh.

Reno sat back and sort of puckered his lips, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "Damn, we are pathetic."

"If Heidegger ever saw us like this," Rude commented. He eyeballed the cereal and asked, "How much of that you got left?"

"Enough." Reno answered. "Why?"

"Enough to share?"

"Theoretically speaking, yeah," was Reno's reply.

"Theoretically speaking?" Rude wondered.

"Yeah."

"Good."

Reno offered over the cereal box. As Rude took it from him, Reno informed him, "You're taking food out of my kid's mouth, you know."

"Sorry," Rude said, unexpectedly.

"Sorry?" Reno repeated. "What the hell for? I was just kidding about that shit, man."

"I know you were," Rude assured him. He took a moment, then said, "Just sorry I haven't really been there for you."

"You, uh..." Reno eyed Rude suspiciously. "...you okay?"

"Fine."

"Then why the hell are you acting like this?" Reno asked.

"I haven't treated you any differently," Rude said.

"Exactly," Reno agreed, solemnly. "Thanks."

Rude chuckled a little. "It's not a good thing."

"It's not a bad thing."

"It's not a good thing," Rude repeated.

The two men sat in silence for a short while.

"Think it'll look like you?" Rude asked, suddenly.

"Dunno. Why?"

Rude shrugged. "Better for it to look like you than act like you."

The remark earned him a bark of laughter, and a "Not bad."

"I'm sure you'll have a decent enough looking kid," the bald Turk assured his friend.

"Yeah, after those first few designated 'ugly' hours, I think so too," Reno agreed, casually. “Mama’s a looker. Was a looker. Whatever.”

“That's awful, man,” Rude said, simply.

“What? You brought it up!" Reno reminded him, animatedly. "Besides, you ever seen a newborn? They’re fucking hideous! I have yet to see one kid come out cute. Like something out of a horror movie. I mean, yeah, give ‘em a few hours, most of 'em turn cute, but at first-”

The duo shared a laugh, their chuckles dying down as Reno's PHS began to ring.

"This is Reno." He covered the mouthpiece a moment later and whispered, "Speak of the devil."

Rude gave him a questioning look.

Reno spoke one word. "Heidegger." He talked to his superior for a few moments, looking to Rude as he hung up and said, "New orders. Looks like we're going back to Midgar."

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

“Little jumpy today, Rude?” Reno asked, in a teasing whisper; he was close enough to the big man he needn’t speak any louder.

Rude didn’t back away from his position, where he’d practically pinned Reno against the wall, trying to shield him. From what -- well, that was anybody's guess. Rude just eyed his and Reno's surroundings. It was getting louder by the minute, and the tremors were intensifying as well. Hojo had done it again.

Though the Turks had been ordered to stop Avalanche -- by way of death, no less -- they’d decided that could wait. Stopping Hojo was more important. In fact, that seemed to be Avalanche’s objective as well -- to put an end to the scientist’s madness, and most likely the scientist too. It was like killing two birds with one stone, Rude, Reno and Elena had agreed. They’d run into Cloud and the others at some point, given their shared destination.

If they could just reach that destination. The Sister Ray was dangerously close to overheating and taking a large part of Midgar with it. Small cracks were spreading across the walls of the winding tunnel, lights were out here and there, and a main had to have burst somewhere nearby, if the ankle deep water was any indication.

“I said,” Reno paused for a split-second, then repeated, “'little jumpy today?'”

“You alright?” was all Rude said.

Reno offered a quick nod.

“Good.”

“Hope Elena’s alright,” Reno added.

“Yeah.”

Elena had gone on ahead. She’d sworn she wouldn’t get too far ahead, just far enough to assess the situation, then she’d turn back and inform her partners of her findings.

Rude looked down suddenly, with an odd expression on his face.

Reno merely rolled his eyes and shook his head, gently shoving Rude away from him. It wasn't the first time one of his friends had had the misfortune to be in close to him when the baby decided to kick him a good one. “Guess you aren’t the only jumpy one.”

Rude just stared at Reno, unable to look away. He was thankful the redhead couldn’t see his eyes in that moment.

Reno stepped out in front of his still awed partner, headed for the next section of the tunnel.

Quickly catching up to him, Rude asked, “That ever hurt?”

Reno glanced over his way, visibly surprised by Rude’s interest. “Sometimes.” With a sigh, he mused, “Wonder what Hojo’ll think when he gets a look at me...?”

“He’s not gonna have time to think,” Rude assured him.

Reno smiled at the remark, then said, “Then let’s find Elena and end this.”

They found her soon enough, guided by her words. She still sounded like a rookie when she shouted, somewhat aimlessly, “Oh no, they're here!”

It was, of course, what Elena did best -- make herself out to be an incompetent ditz. It threw people off. Avalanche thought she was weak and foolish, and couldn't figure out for the life of them how she'd risen to the ranks of the Turks. She was still green, and had a long way to go before she felt as comfortable with it all as Reno and Rude, but Elena Marshall had a good head on her shoulders. She'd fought tooth and nail to make something of herself, and if the job called for her to play the dumb blonde, she did it happily. After all, she'd done much worse since joining the Turks.

Reno and Rude were at her side by then, as she continued, "What are we going to do?" She stole a quick glance at Reno and said, "I think it's okay for you to ignore your orders now."

"...Elena, don't act so weak," Reno said, condescendingly.

"We're Turks, Elena," Rude added.

"Yes, sir," she agreed. "You're right."

"Come on, we've got work to do," Rude said.

Reno shook his head. He chose to play off the confused stares Tifa, Cloud and Vincent were awarding his protruding midsection, and declared, "I'm not really up for it, but..."

"Our orders were to seek you out and...kill," Elena informed her would-be opponents. "Our company may be in turmoil, but an order's an order. That's the will and spirit of the Turks! Believe it!" she shouted. She was laying it on thick.

The trio was still eying Reno, and had seemingly disregarded Elena's gung-ho statement.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. "Let's go!"

Though his heart didn't seem to be in it, Cloud agreed, "Okay, let's end this."

"I know we have a weird relationship, but..." Reno's electro-mag-rod crackled to life, as he finished his thought, "we have to end this like Turks."

Cloud started shaking his head, fiercely, finally lowering his weapon pathetically and mumbling, "No," over and over.

"Make up your mind, Strife!" Reno yelled.

Tifa was in close to Cloud, mothering him as usual, stroking his hair as she murmured, "Are you okay?"

Vincent didn't flinch, didn't take his eyes off the Turks. Nobody else spoke for a moment, until Cloud stood up straight, secured the Buster Sword and informed his companions, "We're not fighting them."

Reno, stepping up and acting as his group's leader, said, simply, "Lets call it a day."

Cloud looked to his friends. "We're going after Hojo. That's what we're really here for."

Tifa and Vincent seemed to agree and they continued on their way to the Sister Ray, and Hojo.

After a moment, Rude asked, "We going after them?"

Reno didn't say anything. He shrugged his shoulders.

"We're not going after them...?" Elena asked. "We're not going after Hojo...?"

Reno just shrugged again, his back to his teammates.

Rude sort of chuckled, unable to make sense of Reno. "It's why we came. It's the only reason we didn't just ignore Heidegger's orders. We came to get Hojo. So, are we going after him or not? What the hell is your deal, Reno?"

"My deal? What the hell is my deal?" Reno shouted, spinning around to face Rude and Elena. His voice had an odd tone to it as he continued, "None of this is my deal, trust me."

"Damn it," was all Rude said, as he quickly understood what was going on.

Elena caught on a second later. "Reno! Are you...? You are! You really are!"

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

A/N: I just realized that for the longest time I had Cloud using Ultima Weapon and not the Buster Sword. LOL. I changed it for the sake of the story, even though we all know Ultima Weapon is a million times better than the Buster Sword in combat.