Title: Dance with the Devil

Author: Enide Dear

Rating: sad, character death

Pairing: RenoxKadaj

Muse: :iconphantom-chick:'s Youtube video Dance with the Devil. Check it out!

Summary: Reno is a Turk.

If Kadaj hadn't had the wild-haired Turk, he was sure he'd cracked a long time ago. There were so many demands, from Mother, from Sephiroth, from his brothers, so many people to tell him what to do and how, to push him ruthlessly down the path that would, he knew, ultimately lead to his destruction. That was the goal they all strived for, for him to disappear and Sephiroth to step forward once more.

And most of the time that made *sense*. When he was with his brothers, he wanted that sweet destruction as well, because Mother would love him so much more once he was Sephiroth.

But Reno loved him now.

When he was with the Turk there were no schemes, no pain, no waiting to be disintegrated. The sheer force of Reno's benign madness swept away all worries and left just play and sweet pleasure and laughter….and humanity. They drank and danced and revelled and played tricks and where *alive* in the dirty alleys that Reno knew so well, much, much more alive than the sterile home that Kadaj had made with his brothers in the Forgotten City.

When Reno held him in his arms and called him all those stupid, silly, wonderful nicknames like 'Kaddy' or 'Ghost' or simply 'Mine' then Kadaj could feel the cold twists in his soul unravelling just a bit, the darkness lifting. He felt like a person, not a Remnant. Not a clone or avatar, waiting for its real form to take shape but someone who had value in himself.

Sometimes that made him cry.

Reno never chided him for that, never said anything but kissed the tears away. Usually that kissing turned more and more passionate until it turned into another of their frantic tumbles and ended with breathless laughter.

"C'mon, Kaddy." Reno purred, eyes sparkling with mischief as he lay down on the bed in another of those 'pay-by –the-hour' sleazy motels that they frequented. "I ain't got all night."

"Too bad for ShinRa, then." Kadaj grinned as he pushed the red-head further down. "Because I intend to keep you here all night."

Usually Reno would have laughed, said something dirty and flipped them over so he was on top, but tonight he just smiled and let Kadaj open his shirt and unbuckle his pants.

Afterwards they lay snuggled together, Reno's strong arms around his slim shoulders as Kadaj nuzzled the skin on Reno's neck, relaxed, sated and a bit sweaty and sticky. Just as it should be, Kadaj thought, just as it *ought* to be. Not perfect, and sterile and pale but hot and a bit dirty and human. Part of him wished he could just stay here forever, and he sighed and nuzzled closer, smiling up to his lover.

Reno didn't meet his eyes as he bent down for another kiss. Something warm and wet hit Kadaj's cheek.

"Reno?" he said more amused and curious than worried. "Are you crying?"

He tilted his head up to look at the Turk and felt Reno's arm around his neck tightening its hold a fraction.

"Yeah." With a sudden, quick move Reno took advantage of Kadaj's vulnerable angle, his grip turning into a vice as he snapped the slim neck with a harsh move.

Kadaj didn't even have time to look surprised before the light went out in his pretty reptile eyes and his head lolled against Reno's neck, suddenly very heavy. The body slumped against the Turk's, cool, smooth and dead.

For a few minutes Reno just sat there, caressing the silk-fine hair. He didn't bother closing the Remnant's eyes. What was the point? The dead where dead and required no respect any longer. It was the living you must care about.

He remembered the good times they'd had, the fun and games and lovemaking. Good times. Good times.

He remembered Sephiroth and all the pain and danger and sorrow he'd brought. The Bad Times.

Finally he untangled himself from the cooling body and laid it down, smoothing out the lean limbs, brushing back the hair, closing the eyes. Hell, the rituals might mean nothing to the dead, but Reno wasn't dead, was he?

"Bye, bye Kaddy." He mumbled as he pulled up the sheet, covering the young Remnant. "Bye, bye my little Ghost."

Sitting down on the very edge of the bed he flipped open his cellphone and pressed a long, complicated number, whiles lighting a cig with the other hand.

"Yeah, Tseng, it's done." Reno pulled hard on the cig, felt the nicotine steady him. "One down. Two to go."