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The Reaper	By : crystalwind Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 676 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Warnings: Language as usual. Not much else, except for some horrible flirting and boring speech. Sorry :p

Chapter 4 – The Bloodletting, Part 1

"You're a difficult person to track down, you know." Reno spun around, knife in hand before he even realized what he was doing. Across the street from him, the dark-haired man from the square smiled at him. The smile didn't quite reach his eyes, and Reno didn't put the blade away. "Now, now, no need to be so edgy. I'm not here to start trouble; I just want to… talk."
"Well, you're doing a great job, keep up the good work." Reno turned away, muscles tense in expectation of an attack, and continued in the direction he had been traveling. Shadow-Man laughed, and Reno stopped again, well aware that the stranger was following, and having no desire to lead him to his home. "What?"
"My name is Tanner." Reno only stared, blankly. 'Does he expect that to mean something to me?' Tanner chuckled. "Ah, I suppose you wouldn't recognize that name, the only people outside of my…family…who would still recognize it are the Turks." Reno shifted uneasily, completely silent for once. He didn't like being cornered, and he was worn out from the fight earlier. He didn't want to have to run to lose the man, and he didn't want to have to kill him. Anyone on the streets knew it was a bad idea to leave bodies anywhere near where you were nesting – it drew unwanted attention, and plenty of people were curious about where exactly Reno lived. He didn't need people snooping around. "I can see you're uncomfortable," Reno's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps we could move to a more neutral area?"
"Perhaps you could just tell me what the fuck you want, and then you can get the hell out of my territory and leave me the fuck alone." Reno wasn't one for being polite when he felt threatened, and Tanner's strangely formal speech was grating on his nerves.
Tanner laughed. "My apologies, I'll get to the point then. I would like to invite you to a…gathering, of sorts. A test of your abilities." Reno's interest was finally piqued.
"What sort of test?"
Tanner grinned, and Reno noticed once more that it didn't reach his eyes. Cold. "A bloody one." He pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Reno, then turned and walked away. "Don't be late…I don't invite many people personally."
Reno stared after him for several long moments before he looked down at the envelope in his hands. He knew what it meant even before he flipped it over to reveal the large R stamped on the front. An invite from the Reaper.

He stayed up late that night, despite how tired he was before. Everyone in the slums knew about the Reaper from the time they could walk. Parents used him as a mythical figure to frighten their children into behaving. Others barely whispered his name, as though speaking it aloud would bring his wrath down upon them. He was the most feared of all the crime lords and gang leaders below the plate, even more infamous than the notorious Don Corneo. His gang, known around Midgar as the Lich, was said to number in the hundreds, and had existed for centuries, before the Upper Plate had even been built. The Reaper himself was rumored to be immortal, although most of the slum rats that ran in the gangs around town knew better. The Reaper was a tradition, passed down from person to person as the old Reaper retired.
The change of command ceremony was known as the Bloodletting. Not much was actually known about it, except that the Reaper sent out invites to the people he thought might be worthy of succeeding him, and only one usually survived the event. Most stories told of invitations being left on doorsteps, on pillows. Reno had never heard of anybody being contacted by the Reaper personally to receive their invite, and the fact that he had been singled out made him wonder. He suspected that the Reaper didn't simply leave his chosen group of people to tear at each other; it made more sense for him to have a favorite. Turning the rest against that person would force him to prove beyond all doubt that he was ready to lead the Lich, since he would have to defeat the rest of the group just to survive. Being singled out before the Bloodletting even began didn't bode well for what might happen later on. Reno preferred to survive by letting others tear at each others' throats; he didn't want to be the one in the middle of the fray.
All of that aside, he knew he would be accepting the invite, and that he would be at the Reaper's Meet the following day. Running with Mel's gang had been fun for a while, but eventually it became boring, monotonous. Nothing ever changed, and as much as he didn't like fighting with the pack, he was tired of not leading it. Only his boredom with what the gang did every day had prevented him from taking charge when Mel left; the opportunity to take command of the most powerful gang in the slums excited him, and he spent the rest of the night choosing his weapons, and choosing which clothing would allow him the best protection from the cold, while at the same time affording him the widest range of movement and agility. He would sleep during the day, since the Bloodletting didn't begin until 1800, but for now, he would make sure he was prepared. He didn't intend to lose.

Reno made his way quietly through the abandoned paths of Sector 4. To all outward appearances, he was simply going about a normal day in the slums. He wore his traditional black boots, scavenged from a Shin-Ra surplus store; tattered black cargo pants, stolen from the same store a couple years ago; an old black wife beater; and his favorite jacket, made of well-worn leather. Black, of course. It hid blood the best, after all. Had anyone had the opportunity to look beneath the clothing, or into his pockets, however, they would have realized that today was a bit different from his usual. His knife was normally the only weapon he carried on him; it was the only one he ever needed. Now, however, he had a small handgun, hidden in a holster beneath the waistband of his pants. He had bought the HK P30 a year ago, mainly just to say he had one, but now he was glad to have practiced so much with it. He didn't expect to need more than the 15 rounds that fit in the magazine, but he had a few extra mags in his pockets anyway, just in case. Completing his oddly-assorted arsenal were four fine ropes, usually used by thieves to scale walls. His lines, however, had nooses on one end instead of grappling hooks. There was no harm in being prepared, right?
He kept his head down as he passed through his old gang's territory. They'd be out celebrating their victory all day, and probably defending their decision ('My decision…') to skin the faces off of Regis' gang, and he didn't want to have to stop and explain to them where he was going, even if there wasn't any way for them to tell that he wasn't just going out for a drink or something similar. As it was, he was spotted anyway.
Sonny stepped out of the old, run-down bar that the gang had been drinking it, letting the door of what had once been a warehouse swing shut behind him. He didn't expect to see Reno walking past on the other side of the street, and called out to him before he could stop himself, realizing that with how Reno was walking head-down, he probably didn't want to be disturbed. Reno sighed a little, and walked over. Sonny could tell by the way he stood, muscles all coiled tight but appearing totally relaxed, that he was headed out to shed blood.
"That was fast… out to kick someone's ass already?" Reno smirked.
"Something like that. Goin' to a party." Sonny looked him over carefully.
"A party, huh… I don't suppose this party requires any kind of invitation to get into, does it?" Reno eyed him, not answering, and Sonny nodded. "More rumors going around about all that today. Rumor has it that anyone who doesn't want to get bloody tonight would do well to stay indoors or out of the Sector."
Reno grinned, and Sonny couldn't help but compare him to a shark, or a bloodthirsty wolf. "You know me, I'm always looking to get a little bloody." Sonny smiled, and clapped him on the back.
"I'd say 'good luck', but you'd just mock me for it anyway. So, have fun, and we'd better see you around when Mel opens his bar up in a couple months." Reno laughed, flashed a peace sign, and continued on his way. Sonny watched him go, then sighed and went back into the bar. The rest of the gang would want to hear about this, and he hated to be worrying about Reno alone.

He arrived at the Meet a half hour before the Bloodletting was scheduled to begin. He wasn't surprised to see a bunch of people already there. Most of them were obviously not there to partake in the event, and he guessed that they were part of the Lich, only there to see who the candidates were for their boss' position. A few stood apart from the crowd, talking quietly to each other, and their tense stances told him that they were fellow candidates, but were too nervous to be serious contenders. Unless this truly was a last-man-standing deal, they would probably survive the night without challenging anybody, and would be happy to return to their usual spots in the Lich hierarchy.
The bystander who surprised Reno the most of everyone there had soft copper curls, and came up only waist-high on him. The little girl giggled, tugging on the edge of his jacket until he looked down at her. "Your hair is a funny color." He smirked, noting that next to himself, she had the brightest hair there.
"You're not one to talk, kiddo." He took a closer look at her, concerned. It was cold out, bitter enough that he was almost shivering in his light jacket, and she wasn't even wearing a sweater. He could see the goosebumps raised along her little arms. "Hey, what are you doing out here, anyway? Shouldn't you be home with your mom or something, where it's warm?"
She giggled again, making him smile. "Everyone is out here!" He wasn't sure what that had to do with her mother, or being warm, but judging by her seemingly uncaring attitude towards either, she wasn't going home any time soon. He sighed, glad that his weapons were all stored in his pants pockets, and shrugged out of his jacket, draping it over her.
"You're going to freeze, you nutcase…" She smiled, showing all of her teeth, and tucked her arms into his jacket sleeves, making herself right at home without so much as a 'thank you'. He rolled his eyes. "You're welcome, too." She giggled again ('Damn, that's going to get annoying fast… lucky the kid is cute') and stuck her hands in the jacket pockets.
"Look! I found money!" She pulled a twenty gil note out of one of the pockets, holding it up proudly to show him. He stared, unamused.
"That is my money."
"Nuh-uh! I found it! Finders-keepers!" He groaned, and rubbed his eyes. 'What a waste of 20 bucks…' She stuffed the note back into 'her' pocket, and stuck out her hand. "I'm Alyse!"
He shook her hand, amused at how much his dwarfed hers. "Reno."
"You have a funny name and funny hair!" Laughing, she danced away, disappearing into the crowd of people. Reno watched his jacket run away from him, and shivered. 'Damn.'
A soft voice spoke up behind him. "That was just adorable." He set his jaw, aggravated, and turned around slowly. His jacket, his money, gone, and now some girly-sounding asshole was taunting him. A pair of honey-colored eyes met his, dancing with laughter. "Oh, it's okay. I was only partly making fun of you, that really was sweet." The speaker smiled, and Reno melted. He always was a sucker for soft-spoken blondes, and the creature in front of him was gorgeous. Straw-colored hair framed his heart-shaped face, and his tawny eyes and dark lashes offset his creamy skin perfectly. Reno couldn't have stayed angry at him if he tried.
"Well, what can I say… I like freezing my ass of and throwing away money." 'Smooth, real smooth… jackass…' He berated himself silently, but his counterpart laughed, charmed, and extended a hand. Reno noticed that his fingers were slender and delicate, his nails shaped and clean.
"My name is Sim."
"Reno." Sim smiled at that, and Reno laughed a little at himself. Sim had been standing right behind him during his conversation with Alyse; he already knew Reno's name. "So…just Sim?"
Sim chuckled a little. "Simón, actually. My parents thought it was 'mysterious and romantic', but it mostly just gets laughs around a place like this." He waved a hand, indicating the city in general, but Reno was quick to protest.
"I don't think it's bad!" Sim laughed, appreciating the effort, and the two of them moved over to lean against the wall of the building behind them, chatting and, on Reno's part at least, flirting outrageously until 1800 rolled around.
A clock tower in some distant part of the city sounded, and all conversation ceased. Reno counted the people around him that he suspected to be contestants in the Bloodletting, and came up with 13, including himself. 'Someone's superstitious…' Tanner was nowhere to be seen, and Reno wondered what kind of Grand Entrance the man had planned. He didn't have long to wait, and the entrance wasn't as 'grand' as Reno had been expecting, although it did shock him a bit. Tanner walked into the area as the last bell tolled the hour, a small pink jacket slung over one arm. His other hand was gripped by a brightly-smiling coppertop, practically drowning in the black leather jacket that she wore. "Son of a bitch," Reno muttered. Sim smiled next to him, and leaned over to whisper in his ear.
"Oh, I forgot to mention… Alyse is Tanner's adopted daughter." As irritated as he was by the news, and by the fact that the girl didn't show any signs of giving up his jacket, Reno was all too distracted by Sim's warm breath on his ear, and consequently wasn't paying any attention when Tanner stepped into the middle of the gathering, and called the invitees to him. Sim chuckled lightly, and gave him a gentle push. All eyes were on him as he moved to the center of the group. Not one to let himself be embarrassed, Reno took his time in strolling over, chin up and smirk firmly planted on his face. A wry smile tugged at Tanner's lips, and he turned to face the onlookers, as Reno positioned himself on the outskirts of the group of contestants.
One of them sneered over at Reno and whispered, "Aren't you cold?" Reno turned a cold smile on him, staring until the other man backed down, looking at the ground.
"No." The other glanced up quickly, surprised, but Tanner began to speak before he could say anything more.
At first, Reno tuned him out. Tanner talked for a while about the history of the Lich, the first Reaper, blah, blah, blah. Reno didn't really give a shit about people who had run the streets before the Upper Plate, before the slums, before the city was even a city, let alone the sprawling monstrosity that it was today. He listened, however, when Tanner began to speak about the Bloodletting itself. "It is a tradition, begun by the first Reaper himself, to… weed out the weaklings, so to speak. Many wish to become the Reaper, but the life is not for everyone. Not everyone is capable of living it. Without the Bloodletting, there can be no new Reaper. The Lich would disappear…forever. Once unbound, tradition can not be restored. And so, it now falls to me to name my Chosen, that you all may test him. You need not fight. You need not die. If he still stands, alive, at the end of three days' time, he will take my place, whether you test him or not. If you do test him…you may win. He who bests my Chosen, becomes the Chosen, and must survive the remainder of the time. Candidates, prepare yourselves." Bored as he was with Tanner's way of speech, Reno focused on him carefully, as did the other candidates. It wasn't a last-man-standing deal, as he'd worried it might be. It was just that one man in particular had to remain standing. Reno had always been good at surviving.
"Reno." Reno was pretty sure that he was the only one of the candidates not surprised when Tanner spoke his name and beckoned. Reno walked closer to him, careful not to turn his back on the other candidates. The Bloodletting hadn't started yet, but there was no reason to let them start plotting together already. Tanner smiled his cold, half-smile. "Reno. To you, I hand-delivered my invitation. Be honored…you are my Chosen." 'No shit, asshole…' Reno only smiled, keeping his opinion of the man before him firmly to himself. The other candidates were muttering, and it was easy for him to pick out which three were going to actively cause him trouble. They glared at him, and he turned away. On his other side, Sim smiled encouragingly. 'At least someone's on my side…' Reno grinned, and wandered back to stand on the fringes of the candidates again. If they were smart, they would strike out at him quickly, as soon as the Bloodletting began, but he suspected that they would waste time plotting some complicated plan, and deny themselves the opportunity for a quick victory. He smiled again, to himself this time. He wouldn't bother waiting, and he was quick on the draw. Gunslingers had nothing on him.
"The Bloodletting will begin when the clock strikes half-after. The Bloodletting will end on the third day, at 1830." The crowd of onlookers dispersed at Tanner's words. There were 7 minutes until 1830, and nobody wanted to be around when the killing started. Sim blew Reno a kiss on his way out of the area, and Reno smirked, pretending to catch it. He then drove the blond-haired boy out of his mind, and quickly began to plan his escape routes.

A/N: Ok, so I admit I don't really like this chapter a whole lot. Tanner talks too much, Reno's going after a piece of ass like he's never gotten any before (which, ok, he hasn't in this story, unless you count his dad, which let's be honest, doesn't actually count…), and most of it's written pretty heavy-handedly (if you ask for my personal opinion on it…) as a means to getting to the next part of the story. I don't want to write ridiculously long chapters though, and this seemed like a decent stopping point before I type out the next part (which will probably be really, really short, but which will hopefully contain a lemon of some kind to make up for it).
EDIT: I read a story by another person a few days ago that mentioned gil notes instead of coins, which i thought was a brilliant way of solving the pocket-full-of-coins issue, so I've adopted a similar idea, and no longer am using dollars in the story. Still using "bucks" though - Reno has to have some slang :p
That all done and complained about, thanks for more reviews and watches :) it's all much appreciated, guys.
As usual, feel free to point out any grammar, spelling, spacing, etc that I've messed up on. I'd rather get a little criticism and fix it than find the typos later and want to slap myself :P With that in mind, I've made some minor changes to Chapter 3, in order to try and clear up some confusion about who's doing what towards the middle of the story. I've also fixes some typos and such that I missed before, but there might be plenty more, since I don't have a Beta, so if you spot them, pleeease let me know.
And anyone who would be willing to Beta for me is more than welcome to send me a message ;)
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The Reaper