Evolution of a Turk

MPREG and F-bombs. Just like the previous eight chapters. ;)

A/N: Whew. This one's really long. Sorry.

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

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

Elena hummed as she misted a few plants she'd bought to liven up the house, with a small spray bottle in hand. Reno was leaning up against the wall, smirking at her, somehow looking both drowsy and aroused at the same time. She glanced over his way, somewhat suspiciously, then returned to her indoor gardening session.

"Reno, would you please stop that?" she asked, simply, as she ran a thumb and finger over the leaves of her newest addition: a beautiful little Costan fern.

"Stop what, babe?"

"That."

"That?" Reno asked, doing his best to look and sound innocent. Most girls would've melted; fallen for it without a second's hesitation. Elena was not most girls. She was a Turk, and above that, someone who knew Reno quite well, and was all-too-aware of what was currently motivating his behavior.

"Yes, that. I understand what you're going through, really, I do. I've been reading up and I know it's perfectly normal that you'd be feeling so stimulated..." she paused to sigh. "But stop looking at me like that."

The right side of Reno's mouth curved up into a smirk. "Like what, babe?"

"Like you're undressing me with your mind."

"Maybe I am."

Elena moved onto the next plant. "Reno, please."

"'Reno, please.' Now that's what I like to hear," the redhead murmured, smoothly.

Elena heaved a sigh and shook her head, ceasing the motion when her cheek brushed against Reno's nose. He'd moved in that close to her.

He inhaled deeply, letting out a satisfied "Mmm...you smell nice, babe," as he exhaled.

Elena took a step back, turned sharply, raised the spray bottle and squeezed the trigger.

"Hey!" Reno shouted, wiping his face.

"It was for your own good."

Reno pouted. He just plain pouted, and gave off a look somewhere between pissed off and wounded. After a long moment of staring at Elena, in a sort of short tone, he asked, "Where's Rude?"

"He's washing the car," was the reply given as Reno had already stalked off.

He had his back to Elena, so she wasn't able to see the devilish smirk on his face as he left her to her plants.

A moment later it hit Elena. He was going to tell Rude on her, wasn't he? Reno was just going to go outside and say, 'Hey, Rude, you'll never believe what Elena did to me. Sprayed me with her fucking spray bottle. Yeah, I came onto her, what of it?'
Oh yes, Elena could hear it all.

She had another thought a moment later, still. A very different thought. As soon as it had entered her mind, she wished it gone, but she just couldn't completely ignore that Reno might have had other ideas when he went searching for Rude. She told herself she was just over-thinking things; sexually excitable as he may have been, Reno would never try anything on Rude.
Before Elena's thoughts could get the better of her (as if they hadn't already), a sopping wet Reno came into her field of vision.

She just shook her head at him, wearing a very 'I-told-you-so' look on her face.

Reno wrung out his ponytail, telling Elena, "Don't even tell me you told me so, okay. And just for the record, it was totally worth it."

Before Elena could ask Reno just what he meant by that, things started shaking. The picture frames clattered against the walls, vibrations coursing through everything from the furniture to Reno and Elena themselves.

"Another tremor?" Elena asked, a moment later, when it seemed to have stopped.

"Guess so," Reno said.

"They're getting worse."

"Yeah."

Rude stepped inside just then, pointing at Reno in a very 'I'm warning you, man' sort of way before the redhead could so much as move.

"What?" Reno asked, the picture of innocence.

"You know what."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Rude," Reno insisted.

"Don't make me turn the hose on you. Again."

"What's going on outside?" Elena asked.

"Someone just washed up in the lifestream," said Rude, simply.

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

That someone who had washed up in the lifestream was none other than Cloud Strife, much to the Turks' collective dismay. To make matters even worse, he had a pretty severe case of mako poisoning and Dr. Harte, unable to turn away a stray, had taken him in. The guy was in sad shape. Couldn't walk, and could barely talk or lift his head. He spent his days in various places around the building, in a wheelchair, his nights in one of the exam rooms.

The doors to Dr. Harte's office swung open and Reno sauntered in with Elena at his side. He had his jacket draped over his arms and in front of his stomach, obscuring it from view as he approached the counter.

It had to have been the receptionist's turn to watch Cloud, as he sat next to her, slumped over in his wheelchair. Until Reno got closer, that is. The blonde became excited, his eyes lit up as he sat up straight and did everything he could to get the Reno's attention. He wiggled and gurgled, as the receptionist talked soothingly to him, assuring him, "It's okay, honey, that's just Reno. He's here all the time," She winked at Reno.

He offered the woman a flippant little wave and moved to sign himself in.

Elena put a hand on Reno's back, and leaned in close to him and whispered, "It almost sounds like he's saying..."

"...Aeris," Reno finished Elena's statement, as he set the pen down on the counter.

Cloud continued to pathetically murmur the Ancient's name well after Reno had been called back, and the blonde had actually tried to get a hold of him as he was escorted to an exam room.

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

During the short period of time in which Cloud had been in Mideel, he'd taken a certain amount of attention away from Reno, which both angered the redhead and relieved him at the same time. It was nice to be sought after and fawned over, and all while maintaining an unnaturally high level of obnoxiousness, after all. Conversely, it was getting increasingly difficult for Reno to hide his condition -- something only a select few knew about, and were all sworn to secrecy about. Let the ladies at the clinic all think he had a tumor in his gut. It wasn't too far from the truth as far as Reno was concerned. It was something that had been growing inside of him without his consent, and was slowly taking his life away from him.

Then why, Reno thought, staring up at the ceiling from his bed, do I care if someone takes it outta me? Tosses it off a cliff? Sells it to the highest bidder? Spins a few circles and throws it like a discus? If it's just a tumor, why do I care? I don't care, he told himself, but a moment later he was reminded not only that he did care, but of why he cared as well. A feeling of self-loathing washed over Reno as his tumor flipped somersaults inside of him. It was alive, it really was, and there was no pretending it wasn't real anymore.

He could feel it from the outside now too, he noted, a hand resting on his swollen abdomen. It didn't surprise him, and yet it did. He'd actually taken to heart some of the many tips Elena had given him, be it verbal or in print. But it had still stunned him the first time he'd felt it, though he knew it was only a matter of time.

Reno knew it was only a matter of time and so did Elena. She'd probably start bugging him soon. Really bugging him. She'd thrown a few hints already, uttering a breezy, "She should start kicking soon," or "You've probably felt her move already and just didn't realize that's what it was," every now and then. She was always sure to add "It'll still be a few weeks before anyone else can feel, though." It was no secret what she meant by 'anyone else.'

Normally Reno liked it when girls couldn't keep their hands to themselves, but this was different. If he let Elena...no, the torment would never end.

Taking a deep breath, Reno decided he needed something -- anything -- to get his mind off of all of it, even if only for a while.

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

"Morning, princess," Reno said, casually. He flipped the light switch as he invited himself into his colleague's bedroom.

Rude squinted, tried to shield his eyes from the light and rolled from his back onto his side. "What the hell are you doing in here, Reno?" he managed to ask, as he stole a glance at his clock. It read 2:21AM.

"Borrowing a shirt. Need a shirt," he said, simply, casually browsing Rude's closet. He pulled one from the hanger and gave it the once-over. He flung it over his shoulder and went for another shirt.

"Right now?" Rude asked, tired, confused and annoyed. He threw his sheet off, stood up and stumbled over to Reno, firmly putting both hands on Reno's shoulders and nudging him toward the door.

Just before he'd been 'escorted' to the doorway, Reno let out a little, "Ah, not so hard."

Rude's first instinct was to spin him around and inspect the damage he'd unwittingly caused, and so he did.

Reno gave him a confused look, almost laughing, as he asked, "What the hell?"

"I thought I hurt you."

Reno scoffed, "Not you, dumbass," and pointed downward.

Rude suddenly felt very stupid. Stupid and vulnerable. It was the middle of the night and he didn't have his sunglasses on, so there was no hiding the shocked look in his eyes. To top it all off, he was half asleep, gripping Reno's shoulders, unable to stop staring down at his stomach, because he knew there was really something -- someone -- inside of him, and that someone was moving.

"Thanks for the shirt, I mean, shirts," Reno told him, with a wink. If he'd been bothered by Rude's obvious gawking, he was keeping it to himself for some reason. He simply headed for the door, and waved back at Rude without so much as looking over his shoulder.

Well, Reno thought to himself, making the trek back down the hallway to his own room, at least Rude won't be getting any sleep either. For some odd reason, that made him feel quite a bit better about things.

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

"He almost looks innocent when he's sleeping, doesn't he?" Elena asked, looking down on Reno's resting form. "I hate to wake him, but he'll be late for his appointment."

Rude raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He reached out and plugged Reno's nose.

The action woke the redhead almost immediately, and he glowered up at Rude. "What the fuck was that for?"

"Your own good," Rude replied. He hadn't forgotten the stunt Reno had pulled the night before, showing up in his bedroom unannounced the way he had. It had kept him up for hours, trying to figure out what had motivated Reno to do it in the first place. Had he been looking for some sort of reassurance? Did he want to be touched? Did he really just want a shirt?

"You have a doctor's appointment today, or did you forget?" Elena wondered.

"I have to be in there all the fucking time, so, no I didn't fucking forget, thank you very fucking much!" Reno insisted.

"Language, Reno!" Elena scolded him, and reminded him, "Little unborn ears are listening."

Reno sputtered, but did little more, just let a deep frown set in once he was done stammering.

"Up," Rude told him, simply.

Reno sighed and complied.

"Now, Reno, I'm working around the house, so I won't be able to go with you today," Elena informed him as he stumbled out of bed.

"Yeah yeah. Whatever," he muttered.

"So you have to promise me you'll really go. I'm trusting you-"

"I'll go with him," Rude chimed in.

Elena and Reno both gave him a look. The whole situation seemed to make the bald Turk uncomfortable, on the off chance he showed any real interest in it. Neither Reno nor Elena could figure out just what he thought he needed at Dr. Harte's office.

That is, until Reno stepped inside the building and right there in the waiting room, next to the still wheelchair-ridden Cloud, stood Tifa Lockheart. She had Cloud facing the window and was looking outside herself, oblivious to the two Turks for the moment.

So, Rude really did have a thing for Boobs Lockheart, after all...Reno resolved to make fun of him later, in addition to asking him just how long he'd known she was in Mideel, how he'd found out in the first place, and why he hadn't said a thing about it.
Rude took a seat in the corner and reached for a magazine. With his sunglasses on you almost couldn't tell he was looking over the top of the magazine.

Reno gave Rude a look that told the big man he wasn't fooling him, then brushed past Tifa and Cloud on his way to the counter.
Cloud had once again become frantic. He looked and acted agitated as he tried everything he was currently capable of to get Reno's attention.

Tifa looked up and over at the cause of her companion's unrest. Her eyes widened in shock, then, hardly a second later, narrowed in anger. "Reno."

Reno shot Tifa a defiant look and Rude, who'd been keeping a keen eye on things, perked up slightly. He didn't want to have to get involved. He really didn't want to have to get involved. Tifa was...amazing, but he was and always would be loyal to Reno.

"Cloud! Stop that!" Tifa shouted, horrified, as she slapped at his hands.

Reno, as he often did, had his jacket in front of him, using it as a buffer, and had taken a step away from Cloud. "Yeah Cloud, stop that. Wouldn't wanna get Shin-Ra cooties. Oh, never mind, you've already got them."

Tifa leered at the mouthy Turk before her. "I was doing that for your sake. He seems perfectly content to reach out to you, don't ask me why. I just figured you probably didn't want him touching you."

"Whatever, Knockers. I don't need charity from your kind," Reno muttered. "Why don't you wheel retard-boy outta here, okay? This space is mine for the next half an hour."

"I have a name," Tifa began, "and it's not Knockers. And what do you mean this space is yours? Unless you're a patient here too-"
Reno crossed his arms, partly to show defiance, partly to block Cloud's wandering hands.

Cloud was murmuring something over and over, arms outstretched as he practically pawed at Reno. "Need...a...number...Professor...Hojo..."

Tifa looked at Reno, both confused and sad as she concluded, "You're a patient here too, aren't you, Reno?"

Reno said nothing, just stared forward, blankly, until Tifa gave up on getting an answer out of him.

She let out an indignant little "Hmmph," and curled her fingers around the wheelchair handles, prepared to push Cloud away. Rude, had, with incredible swiftness, made his way to the doorway, where he held the door for her, and gave a slight nod as she passed, seeming nearly oblivious to his presence.

Reno looked down and murmured, "Hojo never gave me a number either, Strife."

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

"How are we doing today, Reno?" Dr. Harte asked.

Reno avoided the question, and chose instead to ask, "You got a thing for freaks, don't ya?"

"Perhaps," was Dr. Harte's reply. It was followed up with, "Or perhaps the freaks have a thing for me."

"Clever," Reno remarked, his tone anything but complimentary. "How long's he gonna be here?"

"As long as he needs to be."

"How long's she gonna be here?" was Reno's next question.

"As long as he's here, I imagine." As he often did, Dr. Harte asked, "What do I need from you today?"

Reno hopped onto the table. "Blood? Piss? To lube me up and touch me inappropriately?"

"You forgot weight."

Reno smirked. The guy was a smart ass, and he had to respect that.

"Alright then. Let's get your weight," Dr. Harte told him.

Reno whined, "I just got up here."

"I suppose I could do the ultrasound first..."

Reno pouted and hopped off the table.

As he weighed Reno, Dr. Harte told him, "You're just postponing the inevitable."

"Story of my life."

"And you have the metabolism of a ten year old boy."

Reno chuckled a little, but he wasn't very amused. He wasn't in the mood for skinny jokes. He hated how he looked now, even if Elena and Dr. Harte swore he was small for being nearly halfway through his second trimester. He'd seen the build before. It was brought on by other things -- malnourishment, laziness, and other slum diseases -- but he'd seen it before. Guy with his ribs showing, but with his gut sticking out too. He wanted to hit them all. Hard. And now he was one of them.

Sensing his patient wasn't in the mood for banter of any sort, Dr. Harte had kept quiet for the better part of Reno's exam, only speaking when there was some vital piece of information to be relayed to him.

"Did you want to know what you're having?" the man asked. He was pretty sure he knew what Reno would say, but he had to offer.

Reno glanced up at him as he finished buttoning his -- rather, Rude's -- shirt. "No." He'd kept his head turned away from the screen during the whole ordeal, it was the only thing he could avoid anymore -- seeing it. He had to hear its heartbeat every time he went in for a check-up. So fast, sounding like it was coming from miles away, from underwater, but it was way too close as far as Reno was concerned. And on top of that he had to feel it now too. Kicking and punching and rolling and always when he was trying to sleep.

"Well, that's fine. Not everyone wants to know beforehand. A lot of people wait. They want to be surprised. I'll be glad to tell you if you change your mind."

"Don't count on it."

Having somewhat reluctantly chosen to the subject, Dr. Harte asked Reno, "You know him, don't you? The one with the mako poisoning."

"Maybe."

"You're friends?"

Reno actually laughed a little.

"Something else?"

"Yeah." Reno paused. "Something else. But not like that. Fuck."

"I've noticed he seems to liven up when he sees you. I think it would do him good if you spent a little while with him."

"Hell no," was Reno's swift response. He followed it up with a wicked grin, and said, "See you next week."

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

"I'm driving," was the first thing Reno said to Rude as the duo exited the doctor's.

Rude hesitated for a moment, but gave in, nonetheless, and tossed Reno the keys as they were crossing the parking lot.

The redhead smirked, mischievously, and it was one of those rare moments where he looked like himself. Inside the car, he buckled in, unintentionally caught Rude's attention as the strap was stretched across his middle, turned the key in the ignition, then cranked up the radio. He put his right hand over the gear shift and looked to his partner. "We're goin' for a little joyride."

"Fine," Rude agreed.

Reno threw the car into reverse and backed out, having hardly glanced in the rearview mirror.

It wasn't until Reno merged onto the freeway that Rude piped up and said something. "Where the hell are you going, Reno?"

Reno suddenly took a hand off of the steering wheel, pulled his PHS out of his pocket and looked to see who was calling him. He chose to ignore the call, and Rude's question as well it would seem. Instead, he asked, "So you got a thing for Knockers, eh?"

"Her name is Tifa."

"Fine. So you got a thing for Tifa, eh?"

Rude shook his head.

"Back in Gongaga..."

"Reno," Rude said, sounding tired.

"Ah, she's hot, I'll give you that. Feisty too. And smart. I know you like that."

"Slow down," Rude said, warningly, as he glanced over at the speedometer and found Reno to be driving a good 20 MPH over the speed limit.

"Hell, you sound like Elena," Reno muttered, as he slowed down ever-so-slightly. "Better?"

"Not really," Rude said, with a chuckle. He reached for his PHS, and chose, much like Reno had a moment before, to ignore the call. "Where are we going?"

"Why the fuck does it matter, huh? Can't you just...not bug me about it? Maybe we're not going anywhere. Did that ever occur to you, huh?" Reno demanded. He'd sped up again. He was always one to let his mood effect his driving. He sighed, checked his mirrors and somewhat philosophically repeated, "Maybe we're not going anywhere."

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

Elena practically pounced on Reno and Rude when they finally made their way back to the house. "You're both okay!"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Reno asked.

"You must've already been out of there when it happened," Elena concluded, beyond relieved. "I was so worried. I kept calling your phones but neither of you was answering," she blubbered on, trying to hug both men at the same time. "I was terrified you'd both been in there..."

Reno was quick to weasel away from her, complaining about "that damn fucking gooey shit the fucking doctor keeps smearing all over me," and insisting he needed "a fucking shower, big time."

"What happened?" Rude asked, easing himself out of his coworker's grasp much more gently than Reno had.

"You guys didn't even notice it? It's all over the news," Elena said, headed for the coffee table. She picked up the remote control and turned the TV on.

It was on every channel. An earthquake. A big one. Far beyond the tremors they'd been experiencing lately. Several structures had been destroyed, including the building Dr. Harte's office was in.

Reno turned sharply to face the TV, and he, Elena and Rude watched the report intently.

Reno looked more upset by violence than he had been, maybe ever. He softly murmured, "You think they got out alright?"

Before Elena and Rude could ask just who he was talking about -- Cloud and Tifa, or Dr. Harte and his staff -- the female reporter on the TV screen could be heard saying, "No word on how many people are still trapped inside the rubble. Back to the studio."

Reno had an odd look on his face. He wasn't one to show concern, regardless of how often he felt it. But he looked decidedly disturbed as he stared down at the floor.

Elena and Rude watched him for a minute. This was new to them. Over the past few months they'd seen everything from "give me that brownie or I'll shove my EMR up your ass" Reno, to "if you look at my stomach one more time I'll shove my EMR up your ass" Reno, to "would one of you please, please have sex with me" Reno -- sometimes all in one day. But this marked the first time they'd seen the redhead on the verge of breaking down.

"You were gonna get in the shower...?" Rude asked, simply, in hopes it would snap Reno out of it, if only temporarily.

Reno seemed to be trying to shake the cobwebs out of his head as he distantly mumbled, "Yeah. Yeah, I was." He dragged himself out of the living room and to the bathroom.

When the bathroom door closed, Elena looked to Rude and commented, "I've never seen him so..."

"Yeah," Rude interrupted her, somewhat harshly. "Me neither."

Before either could dwell on Reno's behavior, a horrid screeching demanded their attention. The two Turks made their way out the front door, and peered up at the sky, much like all their neighbors were doing, and gawked at the giant beast flying circles just above them.

"What is that thing?" Elena asked, breathless and absolutely awed.

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

A/N: It's Weapon, of course! Sorry if this chapter isn't the best. Something just doesn't seem right. Of course, I still want all kinds of reviews. I love those things.