Evolution of a Turk

Summary and warnings are listed before chapter one. In case you somehow missed it, this lil fic here is MPREG, through and through. So steer clear if you have an aversion to that. There's also a fair amount of swearing.

Disclaimer: Anything and everything related to Final Fantasy VII is all property of Square-Enix. I own nothing, I just do this for fun.

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

Something had happened between Tseng and Reno, most certainly initiated by Reno, or so Elena told herself. Tseng would never. Neither man would say anything about it, choosing to act as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place. But things were tense. Reno took all of his orders with a short "Yes, sir." He didn't complain about anything, or contradict anything just to do so; he just went about his business like a robot. In Tseng's presence, he was more stoic than Rude.

Oh yes, something big was going on between Tseng and Reno, and it was all Reno's fault. Elena Marshall vowed to get to the bottom of it, no matter what the task required of her. Even if it meant spending time with the redheaded menace and maybe getting to know him a little in the process. Whatever she learned, though, she couldn't unlearn, and that would prove to be the most difficult lesson of all.

The quartet was crossing the ocean now, headed first, for Costa del Sol. Reno hadn't seemed happy about traveling by ship, but was remarkably subdued; the brief look of disdain he got when Tseng had told them they were "taking the long way," faded almost as soon as it appeared and he said nothing.

It had been something Tseng had arranged beforehand, as a little treat for his team. Rather than take a Shin-Ra helicopter from Junon to Costa, they'd travel by ship. Just his sneaky way of giving them all a couple of days off in between missions, and babysitting President Rufus, and whatever else Heidegger ordered them to do.

Elena looked down at Reno, sprawled out on his bed and almost felt sorry for him. He was paler than usual, and he wasn't moving.

"What?" he grumbled, only opening one eye. However, the look he gave her made her feel like there were thousands of eyes on her.

"You might feel better if you came up to the deck," she said.

"The fuck do you care?"

"I was just trying to help," she informed him, unable to conceal that she had been wounded by his harsh tone.

"Right, then. Well, don't let the door hit you on the ass."

Elena was at the door, all but ready to leave Reno to his seasickness and brooding, when something stopped her. "I never would've guessed you get seasick."

"I don't," was Reno's stern, but slightly anguished reply.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Get out of my face."

"Oh, Reno," Elena murmured. "I'm sure you'll feel better when we reach land."

"Not likely."

Each time Elena seemed ready to leave Reno, something compelled her to stay. She was reminded of her original motivation for inviting herself into his cabin: her determination to get to the bottom of his falling out with Tseng. "What happened in Junon?"

"Nothing."

"I know that's not true."

"It's not important."

"Then something did happen!"

"Kill me now," Reno grumbled.

"He's our boss. You're going to have to get over this, whatever it is. You're going to have to make up with him sooner or later," Elena told him.

"Make up with him?" Reno chuckled a little, groaning a second later. "Don't make me laugh, it makes the nausea worse."

Elena frowned and fell silent. She just stood stupidly at Reno's side, watching the stillness of his body and listening to his breathing -- a clear sign of just how poorly he was feeling.

Reno finally sat up, very slowly, and glanced over at her. "It's not Tseng...it's just something he said to me, alright? Quit bugging me about it already."

Elena nodded. "I'll leave you alone, you look awful," she said. She'd gotten enough out of the man for now. His anger toward Tseng seemed to be diminishing, too -- something she saw as a very good sign.

Reno rolled his eyes. He took a deep breath, calling out to Elena, "Hey, you know where I can set up an abortion?"

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

"Who'd you knock up, Reno?" Rude asked, an amused smirk upon his face, as Reno finally made his way up on deck.

"Goddamn, she's got a big mouth sometimes," was all Reno said.

"This girl, she doesn't wanna have it?" Rude asked.

"No. She doesn't. She doesn't want a damn thing to do with it," Reno answered, blankly. No need to tell Rude that this 'she' they were both speaking of -- this poor, unlucky lass Reno had knocked up -- was in fact Reno.

"Didn't know you were seeing anyone," Rude commented.

"I'm not."

Rude actually chuckled a little. "Sure it's yours?"

"Unfortunately," Reno muttered. A second later he asked, "You think Elena told Tseng?"

"That you asked her where you could set up an abortion?"

Reno nodded.

"She told me."

"I'm gonna take that as a yes, then," Reno concluded, angrily adding, "Fuck," a minute later.

"Come on, Reno. Let's have a drink."

Just as Reno was trying to decide whether to continue to abide by "the list," or say fuck it and get completely wasted -- what did it matter since he wasn't gonna have the damn thing anyway? -- something else demanded his attention. "What the hell?" Reno asked no one in particular, and not really expecting an answer.

"Sounds like something's happening below deck," Rude said.

A thick fog had fallen over the ship, and all hell seemed to have broken loose beneath. It had turned cold, and visibility was getting poorer by the second.

"We gotta find Elena and Tseng," Reno said.

"Yeah," Rude agreed.

"Then we can figure out what the hell is going on."

"Yeah."

It wasn't long before the two Turks had a blood trail to follow, and it wasn't long after that, that they found their leader.

"What's going on?" Rude asked Tseng.

Tseng shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Where's Elena?" Rude asked.

"We split up to look for you and Reno."

"I'm right here. I haven't seen him," Elena chimed in. "I searched the whole..." She paused to catch her breath. She was hunched over, hands on her knees. "Reno's not in his..."

"Cabin?" Reno asked, from his position next to Rude, and obscured from Elena's view.

Elena looked up. "Reno!"

"Yeah?"

"I looked everywhere for you. When I didn't see you in your room, I thought he might have gotten you."

Rude, Reno and Tseng gave Elena a look.

"Elena?" Tseng asked.

"Sephiroth."

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

Reunited, and now four strong, the Turks made their way to the cargo holds. There were only a handful of crew members down there, and none were alive. The power was out, and the stench of blood was overwhelming as Reno, Rude, Elena and Tseng had to maneuver their way around several recently deceased crewmen.

"Ah, hell," Reno groaned. The odor certainly wasn't helping his nausea. He'd almost forgotten about it in the midst of all the chaos, but now it was back, full-force.

"Alright, Reno?" Tseng asked, casually.

"Just fucking peachy," was the somewhat pained reply.

"Lost your stomach for this?" Rude asked, almost teasingly.

"Eat a dick," Reno muttered.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Rude retorted. Reno was about the only person who could get him to stoop to such a level.

"So much. I lay awake at night lusting for you, Rude. Didn't you know?"

Choosing not to acknowledge Reno and Rude's current crudeness, Tseng addressed Elena instead, asking, "Are you sure it was Sephiroth?"

"I never saw him, but that's what the eyewitnesses were saying. Of course, not many who were close enough to see anything survived," she replied, glad the conversation topic seemed to have changed.

"Hmm." Tseng knelt down, mid-thought. Hand on the floor, he looked up and back at his team and said, "There was a fight here."

"You call this a fight?" Reno asked, incredulous.

Tseng shook his head. "No, this was a massacre. But there was a fight. I wonder who it was and how it is they managed to get away..."

"Avalanche?" Elena guessed, halfheartedly.

"If they were able to get on board the ship."

"Should we be looking for them?" Rude asked.

"Yes, I think we should be," Tseng replied. "You and Reno go. Elena and I will stay here and see what we can dig up."

Reno and Rude took the order wordlessly, each offering Tseng a quick nod before turning to leave, stepping over bodies once again.

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

"Glad to be outta there. That smell was about to put me over the edge," Reno said, somewhat absently, taking the stairs two at a time, unaware that Rude was intently watching his every move. "I'm gonna fuck them up so hard when we catch them. After everything they've done to me."

"What the hell is your problem lately, Reno?" Rude asked, out of nowhere.

"What?" Reno asked, visibly surprised by the question.

"Whatever happened between you and Tseng back in Junon, then you're spending almost every day in bed, sick as a dog, and now you're bothered by a little blood. It's not like you."

"It's nothing."

"It isn't nothing if it's effecting you on the job."

"Why don't you do what you do best, Rude, and shut the fuck up?"

"And you're moody as hell lately, too. You on the rag or something?" Rude asked, smirking slightly.

Reno turned sharply and roughly grabbed at Rude's bicep. "I thought I told you to shut the fuck up," he spat, glaring daggers at his partner.

"Lay off," Rude said simply, pausing for a split-second between his words, to tell Reno he meant business.

"Do I look like a fucking woman to you?" Reno demanded, letting go of Rude's arm.

"Hell, Reno. No, you don't look like a woman. Trust me."

"Then why the fuck did you say that, huh?"

"It's a figure of speech."

"Never," Reno warned, "I never want to hear you compare me to a woman again, you understand?" He stepped out in front of Rude but was stopped a second later, as -- much like he had done to Rude -- he was grabbed by the arm and forced to turn around.

"What's going on?" Rude asked, simply.

"Lay off, Rude," Reno said, mockingly, trying to jerk his arm free.

"Are you sick?" Rude asked, seriously. He thought back to Midgar, to when he'd visited Reno, and how neither of them could figure out why he hadn't been discharged when his injuries really weren't so serious.

'You don't think they found something wrong with me or anything, do you?'

"Sick doesn't even begin to describe it," Reno muttered, looking at his arm -- more specifically, the large hand gripping it. "Now let go. We got shit to do, right? Can't let this effect us on the job, right?"

"What do you have?" Rude asked.

"Not now."

"Can it be cured?"

"Why the hell are you so damn chatty today?"

"When'd you get it?"

"I'm about ready to-" Reno said, threateningly, but was cut off before he could finish his statement.

"How'd you finally find out?"

Reno practically growled. "I'm not sick, you nosey fucker, I'm pregnant. I'll find a way to "cure" it if it's the last thing I do. I got "it" about a month ago. From Hojo. Tseng told me. He found it in Hojo's files. Wondered what he put in me. Well, that's it."

Rude actually looked stunned. It wasn't often that one could detect any sort of expression on his face, at least not one that told of distress.

"Now let go," Reno spoke slowly, in a quiet, but altogether vicious tone.

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

A/N: Yeah, it's probably highly unlikely that the Turks were on the same ship to Costa del Sol as Avalanche, but I'd love it if you ignored that. Don't worry, Reno will get nicer as the story progresses; he's just so much fun to write as a jerk. And remember to drop me a line and tell me what you thought. I'd love to know.