Akino: so in the midst of rewriting Chanterelle I've been working on this little plot bunny. I've got three chapters done but I want to make sure I at least try to get the spelling errors. I've ALWAYS wanted to try my hand at a Vincent-centric fanfic…then I realized that I ALWAYS wanted to do a Turk-centric fic. And then I love cloud…and Shelke….so I said Screw IT it's a Turk/Cloud/Vincent/Shelke Massacre! Let the bullets fly! But yeah. I have NO clue how the pairings are going to work out cuz I'm a BIG Cloud and Vincent fan but also a big Cloud and Reno fan…and to top that all off I like Vincent and Reno (which is a little known pairing but actually makes sense when you think about it like a true FFVII fan) but yeah, this is the final result of my musing about the inner workings of the Turks…Vincent…Cloud…and my budding little Shelke. Trust me, it's a lot of fun! Reno…is getting the love he deserves in this because…well…I just have some kind thing for redheaded idiots like him! *cough*axel*cough* Anyway, enjoy my first attempt at a Final Fantasy VII fic!

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"I'm so sorry…"

Why? I was the one who was weak.

She betrayed you.

She was only afraid. She didn't know what else to do.

No one who uses their own son as an experiment is worth mourning.

"I can't take it anymore…My body…my mind…"

I can't be there for you. You've trapped here so that I couldn't stop you and you left me alone with him…

She deserves her fate…let her go…

I…can't…

Why hold on to her…when there are always others…

Others? What others?

What others? Heh, I wonder…

The high pitched creak of the lab door coming open made Vincent open his eyes, they're crimson tincture glowing from his formal submersion in the Mako tank. His mind was hazy and his body felt like he was no longer in control of it. All he could do was move his eyes about the room and take in the various tubes around him. His hair had grown long after the years of experiments and his body was an array of scars and needle pricks that were purple from constant injections. His hand…god his hand felt strange.

"And how are you feeling today, Vincent Valentine?"

He blinked once so that he could focus and turned his gaze to the woman at his side. She stood there with a soft smile but for the life of him he couldn't see her face clearly. The light reflecting on her glasses kept him identifying her, but he knew her by now. She was some sort of intern Hojo had hired to do his dirty work. From what he caught when she would randomly talk to him she ran physicals and checks on all of Hojo's experiments daily while the greasy scientist focused on other things. Somehow, just before he was left alone for the night, she would manage to make it to his dark end of the facility. She was gentle with him, taking care of his wounds when Hojo left them open for infection and making sure she spoke to him, letting him know that there was someone out there who knew he was still human. So here she was again, unwrapping something from his left arm. He barely felt it.

"You're healing pretty quickly, though I'm really sorry for what Prof. Hojo did to you. There was no reason to lose the whole arm just to give you that beast! You wouldn't be here in the first place if she…I'm sorry, that's not my place to say."

He couldn't bring his throat to produce sound so all he could was listen to her soft apologize. She wrapped up what was left of his arm and frowned hard. She looked to Vincent and did her best to smile. She touched his hair playing with the soft tassels of hair. "You're really handsome, Vincent Valentine."

He felt her touch his left arm, feeling the strange sensation of a limb that was not there. Oh, that's right, the last time he was conscious something went wrong and he nearly bled to death. She leaned close to him and he could feel her breath against his face. He inhaled smelling sweet wildflowers and country air. If he had more strength he would've smiled; the girl smelled like freedom.

"Vincent Valentine," she said softly taking firm hold of his left arm. "I made something for you…"

He flinched when something cold and sharp brushed his cheek. "Can you turn? Come on, just one look?"

A small bit of determination brewed within him and he managed to make his head turn to face her. A smile was present and she held a gold and black claw in her hands. She touched the inside of it and the fingers moved back and forth, clenching and unclenching.

"It's for you; an arm for an arm, so to speak. It's taken me a long time to design but amazingly, it works well. All I have to do is connect it to the nerves in your arm and it will be as if you never lost it. There is one problem though. Once it's on, you can never take it off. I've created it so that it cannot be pulled or taken off by anyone, not even you." She put the clawed arm down on the table next to his head. "I wish you had the strength to speak. At least you could give your consent for this, but Professor Hojo is keeping you under heavy sedation. I…"

She shook her head and picked up the arm. "I'm going to put you under now and attach the arm. Prof. Hojo won't mind; he says it's a nice addition to your deformities." She caressed the claw. "I think it's beautiful, just like you are."

With that said she filled a syringe with clear liquid and injected it into Vincent. Just as the anesthesia began to take effect, the girl put her hands over his ears blocking out all sound. He saw her mouth something that, had he had not been a Turk, he wouldn't have caught.

"I love you…"

Final Fantasy VII: Crimson Sins

The Turks

Chapter One: Standstill

Reno was thrown against the stone wall of cell, his shoulder blades connecting painfully with the brick. He cursed loudly and recovered quickly running at the cage just as they closed it. His dark ruby hair hung wild and free around his shoulders having lost his hair tie long ago. His chartreuse eyes were wild with blood lust and he practically growled at his captors. The blood flowing from the gash on his forehead gave him and overall feral look. He was hurt, tired, and pissed the hell off.

They had caught him when Rude had picked him up for work and was briefing about some missing person whose name he couldn't recall. They'd beat the hell out of Rude until he was unconscious and then kidnapped him. Reno had fought tooth and nail mind you but these people were brute strength incarnate and they punched and kicked him the whole way there.

"Let me out of here, dammit!" he snarled tugging at the bars. "I swear on all that's holy, when I get out of here every one of your asses is mine!"

"Oh the little gutter rat still has fight in him!" a male voice chuckled.

"I'll say," a female voice giggled. She was the only one who allowed herself to be seen clearly. The white medical patch hid one of her slanted lavender eyes and her white blond hair had been pulled back in a ponytail. Reno judged that she was part Wutai. He knew the features from being around Tseng all these years. Her petite body was covered in an all white uniform he didn't recognize but it had the SOLDIER emblem embroidered on the left side. Her back was erect and she had the air of arrogance that most people in power had. It told Reno she was some form of high blood and if that was true, Reno would enjoy taking her out all the more. She came to him and leaned towards him. "He's a pretty one isn't he? I'm afraid you haven't been honest with your fellow ShinRa buddies, have you Reno?"

Reno glared hard at the woman as she waved a delicate finger in front of him. He really wanted to bite it off but the last thing he wanted was for this next hit to cause permanent damage. He needed to be conscious so he could think and escape. But, being who he was, Reno couldn't resist. He snapped forward and clenched his pearly whites around her pretty finger. He knew there would be blood even before she screamed and pulled back with it trailing down the side of his mouth. She cursed and yelled when he spat her blood back at her.

"You filthy bastard!"

He smirked at her and dodged the backhanded slap she tried to get him. "Keep it up and I'll snatch your other eye out, yo!"

She hissed at him. He backed all the way away from the bars and watched her cradle her little hand, completely satisfied. He heard the man laughing in the shadows.

"Come on, Tsu-Li, the boss'll be waiting for us!"

She cast him one more murderous sneer before stomping off. Once he was sure she wasn't looking, he closed his eyes and licked the Mako infused blood off the side of his mouth. The taste wasn't bitter like normal blood was, oh no; the Mako injections has sweetened it. Reno's eyes opened, his eyes flashing bright in the darkness before dimming down to their normal green.

"Well Tseng, you wanted to know who was fucking with us, yo. There's your answer."

"We'll be there as soon as possible, Reno," Tseng promised through his com-link. "I'll make sure Valentine will be accompanying us."

Reno chuckled. "They really had no clue what they were fucking with right here..."

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Vincent Valentine opened his eyes slowly and looked up at the crystal that housed Lucrecia's body. She had been silenced since the Omega incident and no longer whispered words of apology though every now and then a tear or two would fall from her eyes. This made him confused about whether she was alive or not. The Mako had preserved her perfectly and she'd picked such an ironic resting place for herself. Chaos, the place she'd discovered it and the Protomateria. He touched his chest where the materia still resided. Even with Chaos no longer whispering in his ear, he had yet to dispose of it. It was sentimental value that made him hold onto it still.

Breathing a deep sigh, the former Turk got up from the ground and went to leave, his boots clicking on the hardened surface. The fresh air greeted him warmly with cool wind blowing into his hair making it billow in the wind. He approached the edge of the cliff and glanced down at where his ride waited for him. He preferred to fly but since Chaos's disappearance, he no longer had wings and therefore he no longer had transportation. With a flourish of his cape he jumped down and landed in the ground silently. Red fell all around him as his cape settled about his ankles. Cloud Strife leaned against his the Fenrir with his lightly muscled arms crossed and Mako eyes closed. They opened when Vincent approached providing him with a view of the last set of true Mako eyes left on the Planet.

"You ready?" he asked, his voice always even.

He gave a curt nod and waited for Cloud to mount his motorcycle before climbing on behind him. He secured his arms around Cloud's waist careful not to tear his clothes with his claw. Fenrir roared to life, its engine howling as they took off across the plains heading for Nibelheim. He'd cut his visits to Lucrecia's keep down to once a year and made that the day that Omega Weapon was defeated and Chaos returned to the Lifestream. It had been four years now and lots had changed. Edge was a prosperous city and had recovered well from the disaster that was Deep Ground. Thanks to the former AVALANCHE and WRO backed by Rufus, the Planet recovered nicely and there was so much peace of mind that slowly, very slowly, they'd all begun to live again.

Tifa had finally given in to Rude's affections for her and had gone as far as to marry the Turk. He'd hung around and hung around until he'd gotten a ring on her finger and now was a better father than anyone thought a Turk could be. He still worked for ShinRa, nothing would change that, but Tifa had become his first priority. Cloud had said that Tifa deserved someone who wouldn't let the world get in the way and Vincent knew the blond was happy that Tifa would move on. However, there were times when he would see a strange sort of jealousy in those tainted blue eyes. Somehow, he knew that the jealousy not over losing Tifa to Rude. In fact, he was certain of it.

Yuffie had become a real Empress in Wutai now that she'd reached a more mature age but…well she was still Yuffie. She skipped out on ruling Wutai to hunt down Materia and adventure while her betrothed husband would pick up the mess in her place. Vincent still hadn't figured out how to block her number. Barrett was doing well with his oil company. He had become a bit of a nouveau riche guru and wasn't afraid to show off the wealth. Marlene was starting to show the beauty of a woman and her father spoiling her with clothes and the like only enhanced it. Denzel was starting understand that beauty very well. Reeve continued his campaign with WRO sending Cait Sith 5 to check in on him as much as possible. Nanaki was living out his days in peace in the far reaches of Cosmo Canyon where the air was still fresh and the stars were always so close. Vincent found himself there more often than he use to. Cid Highwind…no one even knew where to begin with him. After the Shera went down he settled his free-spirit down with the real Shera or in his words "Made an honest gal out of her." Though recently, rumors of an unearthed airship would pass around Midgar. There was no doubt Cid hadn't given up his love of the sky for the love a woman. Shera was nice but there was no way she could compete with the flying for Cid's heart.

Cloud still kept to his small delivery business and did nothing to expand it. He was content with the size of it as it was and it kept his humble abode intact. The blond had a small amount of the peace everyone was experiencing but like him, Cloud was still forced to hold on to things that no one understood. Every now and again, the shadow over Cloud would lift and he would see the world for what it was but most of the time he was the same burdened man who could not wrap his heart around the serenity. Closure had not come for Cloud like it had for Vincent and in that Vincent often felt the smallest trace of guilt. The fight with the Remnants and Sephiroth had done nothing but tear through the scar tissue of his past and reawaken the pain of all he'd lost. If there was anything Vincent could say he felt a form of happiness about, it was that the Deep Ground incident had broken his chains and given him the freedom to pull Cloud out of the darkness as well. It was through their shared histories that they began to grasp larger pieces of the tranquility. They were friends, now. Not friends like what Zack had been to him, but friends that were uniquely bound together by blood, torment, and horror. That tied them closer than any type of brotherhood could.

"Vincent?" Cloud yelled over the roar of the motorcycle.

He leaned slightly to let him know he was listening. Cloud bit his lip slightly. "When we get back to Nibelheim I'm going to be taking a break from delivering. Did you want to go somewhere?"

"Not in particular," he replied unsure of what else to say.

"Then you'll come with me to Edge for supplies and on to the Capital?"

Ah, he understood. Cloud's idea of getting away from it all was the same as his. They would disappear for days, maybe even weeks if the mood took them. It was easy to do so since everyone had lives now and because of it, they were often forgotten in the throes of happiness and life. This was fine, being detached from the makeshift family they had formed was a blessing. It made it easier when the clock caught up to their companions and left them untouched. They'd found out through time and logic that neither of them were going to age and unless someone murdered them, they weren't going to die. Hojo had long ago seen to that. It only made sense that they're idea for a vacation was in a place that would never change just like them.

"I'll go. Shelke can take care of the Mansion."

Cloud nodded his affirmation and continued to concentrate on driving Fenrir. He didn't hide the smalls smile of satisfaction though.

They made it back to Nibelhiem and pulled up to the ShinRa Mansion. Shelke smiled calmly and came to greet them. She, like them, would never change in appearance or age making her a more than compatible roommate. It had become her self-proclaimed duty to be a secretary/nanny to them, making sure they ate, slept, and took care of themselves. The girl was good with gil and kept the place stocked with supplies and the like to make it livable. She took orders for Cloud and went shopping for them when they were gone and never was a burden. Shelke took care of herself and enjoyed it that way though every now and then something painful would happen. Shelke still needed the Mako treatments to keep her alive and therefore could not leave with them on trips. The only place she could travel to with them was Edge because she could easily access the old Mako tanks and keep herself healthy. Her eyes glowed with the contaminated light of the chemical mirroring theirs in both radiance and pain.

"You had a call, Cloud Strife." She said softly, her voice too big for her now. She still had that strange habit of calling people by their full name. "Tifa Lockhart wants to see you when you pass through Edge; she has a delivery for you to make."

Cloud's thing brow arched in confusion. "Tifa actually has work for me?"

It has been a long time since either of them had even stepped into Seventh Heaven. Shelke shook her head to show that she didn't know any details. Her eyes shifted to Vincent and her smile warmed even more.

"Vincent Valentine, there was a call from Tseng of ShinRa. He wishes to speak with you."

"The answer is no."

"I said that," she said blandly.

Tseng, leader of the Turks, had been in a hard push to get Vincent back on the payroll. They'd offered him a vast variety of things from money to a new home, but each one he'd refused. He was a Turk straight through to his heart, no doubt, but technically, he was deceased and wanted to keep it that way. He would never adorn the Turk uniform and its painful memories ever again. Tseng understood his sentiments and had implored Rufus ShinRa to leave him alone but the president was bent on having the gunner among the Turks again. He'd even gone as far as to get Reno and Rude to try and force him. They both went home with bullets in both their bodies and pride. Though that Reno had put up a hell of a fight, he mused. The idiot had this strange determination when they had fought to take Vincent down.

"But," Shelke added. "He says it has nothing to do with their request. He says it's something of interest to you and only you. Should I tell you aren't interested?"

"Did he say anything else?"

She shook her head and glanced at Cloud who was checking for his wallet. "Where are you going, Cloud Strife?"

"To the grocer, dinner's not going to buy itself," he said waving over his shoulder as he took the walk to the village.

She nodded, returning her gaze to Vincent. Vincent shook his head. "I'll call Tseng later."

"Understood," she said walking back inside. Vincent followed her with a slight smile. After four years, the only thing that had really changed about the girl was her voice and her clothes. He went inside the mansion which they had painstakingly restored to its original beauty. The paint was fresh, the window replaced, and the floor waxed so well that it perfectly reflected the ceiling. It was strange that the place that had caused Vincent and Cloud the most pain was where they felt most comfortable. Being where it had all started was like being in a neutral zone where neither the past nor present could get a good footing. Shelke made her way to the study in a short jog and came out with a piece of note paper.

"I already have Tseng's number, Shelke."

"I know that," she gave him one of her blank stares. She only did that when he either stated the obvious or made a mistake. "Tseng said to call him on this number instead of the company phone. He said he wanted it off the record that he'd spoken to you a second time today."

Suspicion nagged him like a hound on his heels. Something wasn't right about this. "That doesn't sound like something Tseng would normally do."

"I would take care, Vincent Val--Vincent. If they sent someone to attack you before…then…"

"This could be a trap," he finished for her. "I'll take it in my room."

She nodded and made her way back to the study. "I have to do the budget for this month. The bills are due and I want to be finished by dinner."

With that she disappeared into the room and the door closed behind her. He walked up the center stairs, perfectly restored with no trace of his battle with Rosso and the Arachnid. His room was the same room that housed the entrance to the basement. Cloud avoided his room most of the time and only came as far as the doorway. He slept on the other side of the mansion so that he would not be above the basement. Sometimes Vincent didn't understand Cloud very well but he was sure the feeling was mutual.

He sat down on the window sill and examined the note paper Shelke had given him; her elegant numbers were actually hard to read sometimes. This was scribbled in a rush he assumed. The number was a random number, a disposable phone perhaps. Why all this secrecy? He dialed the number and pressed his cell to his ear. It only took one ring before Tseng's collected voice came through the speaker.

"Vincent Valentine, a pleasure to hear from you."

"What is it Tseng? You wouldn't go through all this for nothing."

"This is something that is going to be kept among the Turks and the Turks alone."

"I told you I didn't-"

"I know and understand your reasons, but this is not ShinRa business. This is something that requires your expertise as one of the most impressive Turks in our records. Only me, Rude and now you know of this…issue."

"And Elena and Reno?"

"Elena is trusted for her job, but not with information. If pressured, she would not remain silent. This is something that we need to handle alone."

"You're purposely avoiding Reno's name so I'll assume something has happened to him."

There was a long pause. "Come to Midgar tomorrow, Valentine, and I'll brief you on what has happened among us within the past six days."

The phone was hung up and Vincent made no effort to call back because Tseng would've disposed of the phone within the time it would take him to dial the number again. He processed what little he'd gotten from Tseng using a path of thinking that he hadn't in a long time. This wasn't ShinRa business, he'd said. That meant the Rufus didn't have a clue about it and that Tseng was doing something he rarely did, acting on his own. Apparently it had gotten him into something too big for and now something had befallen Reno because of it. He sighed closing his crimson eyes. The man didn't even wait for him to agree to it; it was probably because he'd set his mind to do it before the call had ended. At least he would hear the man out.

"Does it hurt terribly, Vincent?"

Vincent suddenly cringed and doubled over as torrents of pain shot up his left arm like lightening. His body weakly felt back against the window and his body arched to take some of the edge off the pain. He held his clawed arm tight and rolled over on it so that it was caught between him and the wall, as if the weight and pressure would ease the pain. The shots of agony pulsed all the way to his shoulder making him growl out his suffering. It spread all the way to his head making explosions of white behind his eyes before they rolled to the back of his head and he hit the floor

Shelke wearily made her way up the stairs on her way to the basement. It was past time for her Mako treatment and she'd gotten too wrapped up in work to notice. Careless. She knocked on the door to Vincent's room for permission to come in. When he didn't respond she opened the door to find him passed out on the floor. The position he lay in told her that he struggled before he fell and she immediately went to his side. Skills she didn't know she possessed came into play as she rolled him over and checked his pulse. She used what minimal knowledge Lucrecia had of his current body and searched for the cause of his black out. Nothing was wrong.

"Vincent," called in a voice that was both hers and not. "Vincent Valentine."

A groan was all she heard and his fake arm moved involuntarily. She lifted it slowly, being mindful of Vincent's expression of pain, and inspected it. The fingers twitched and bended under her gaze and she confirmed what she feared.

"You have…phantom limb syndrome," she sighed. "You're in pain because the nerves are trying to pass through what is not there. I suppose it overloaded your senses."

Vincent did not wake. Shelke put his arm down and used what little strength she had to get him into bed. Panting, she spoke as if he could hear her in his unconsciousness. "There nothing I can do about it. You will have to deal with it on your own when you wake."

She turned to go to the basement but paused. Her vision clouded over and she thought for a moment that she was going to pass out from not getting to the Mako chamber in time but no. That wasn't it. She suddenly couldn't feel her own body and it begun to move on its own. No…

Shelke returned to Vincent's side, her eyes glowing with Mako and she sat on the bed beside him. Diminutive hands touched the comatose gunner's face with a loving gentleness before trailing down to the spot on his chest where the Protomateria lay. The spot glowed with the power of the material and she smiled almost manipulatively.

"Vincent," she said in a voice that truly didn't belong to her. "You're always so slow…always late."

Shelke pulled herself closer so that she was hair's breath away from his pale lips. "Not that I…mind though," she whispered with a sardonic smile.

Vincent's eyebrows furrowed in sleep. "Lucrecia…"

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Akino: So I know it was kinda boring. The first chapter always is with me (dunno why) but next we have a REAL Turk-only mission so it's worth sticking around and reviewing, Right? Lol, let me know what you all think so far. Must get back to writing Chanterelle! Ta-ta