CM: Yes, it's another Reno origin story. This story features Reno and how he became involved with the Turks. For all you Reno and Turk lovers out there, this is the story for you! So if you're ready for fun and good times, sit back, relax, and enjoy reading...

RED DOG

Disclaimer: We don't own FF7 or its characters.

Chapter 1: Kicking a Dog

It was almost morning when Reno stumbled into the run down junk shop. He clenched his right arm with his left hand, warm stickiness seeping out between his fingers and dripping onto the dusty floor. He looked around the room, 'Not like it mattered.' He thought, just another dark stain to add to the collection of stains that littered the floor. He touched his shoulder, 'Shit!' his arm hurt like hell. He went to a work bench in the corner, dropping the gore stained metal pipe onto the table with a clatter. He collapsed into the chair parked in front of the work area and turned on the small desk lamp before he began rifling through the tools. It was nothing short of a miracle everything was how he'd left it. Down in the slums, any place was subject to getting raided if left alone for too long.

Shady Larry must've left behind one hell of a reputation. Reaching around the work area he selected the tools he needed before singlehandedly pulling his blood stained shirt off. The bullet wound was a nasty sight, but looking at it closely, it didn't appear to be in too deep and just in the muscle. Resigning himself to what he was about to do, he grabbed a dirty rag and bit down on it, tasting grime. Then he unscrewed the cap of a whisky bottle, turned it in his hand, bit harder on the rag as he adjusted himself in the seat and then in one fluid motion, he splashed the amber liquid on the open wound. Before he could set the bottle down, the burning of alcohol caused him to see stars as he felt light headed and dizzy.

"HOOOOOOOOOLYYYYYYYYYYY SHIIIIIIIIT!" He almost screamed as he gripped the counter.

He blinked a few times to clear his blurry vision and bore the pain. Pulling the rag from his teeth he wiped at the wound until the alcohol cleared most of the blood away. Setting the bottle down with trembling hands, he took up the pair of needle nosed pliers next. Bracing himself again he slowly and gently pushed the tip of the pliers into the red opening until he touched the backside of the slug. The twinge caused him to see stars again. Opening the pliers he slipped the jaws down the sides of the slug until he felt he had it firmly and then he squeezed. After what seemed like hours but was in fact only about three or four minutes, he pulled the blood covered chunk of lead out and let it clatter to the counter top. He was breathing deeper than he ever remembered.

Reno dropped the pliers and picked up the bottle again. Somehow the second rinsing was even more painful than the first. He nearly passed out from the pain, but shook it off. He let the bottle fall to the floor and went limp in the chair. He tried to take deep steady breaths as he forced himself to hold on to a sliver of consciousness.

When he regained a reasonable amount of his faculties he took up the carpet needle which he had laid out and threaded it with the only thing he had on hand, carpet thread. Dipping the needle into the whisky and starting at the top, he worked his way down the wound, stitching it closed. Tying a knot in the end he leaned over and bit off the thread. Taking a lighter he fired the thread until it burned up to the stitching before blowing it out. A final splash over his handy work and setting back in the chair, he allowed himself to pass out in the chair.

It was barely light when he next became aware; he started at the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor of the shop. Reno immediately sat up, his fingers searching the table until they closed over the metal pipe. Just as he turned to give whoever it was one hell of a welcome, the person quickly backed off.

"Shit, kid, you want me to come back later?"

Reno's arm went slack and he nearly passed out from shear relief. "Blay…. Don't fucking scare me like that."

"Didn't realize you were so jumpy," the man remarked stepping forward. He pulled up a rusted chair that creaked in protest under his weight, even though he really wasn't that much meatier than Reno. "You look like shit."

"Up yours," Reno mumbled, keeping his weapon on hand.

Blay was a cool guy, as cool as they came considering the rat hole he had to live in. However, after all the crap that'd been happening lately, Reno wasn't inclined to trust anyone right now.

The guy wasn't stupid, however. "You best point that somewhere else or its going straight up your ass, boy," he warned as his pulled out a carton of cigarettes. After taking one in his teeth he held the box out to Reno who accepted without hesitation using his injured arm. Some nicotine might help calm his nerves a bit.

"What have I told you about calling me 'boy', dread-head?"

"Whatever, I didn't come here to throw down with you." Blay reached into his tattered jacket and pulled out a lighter. After a few tries he manage to light his cancer stick, then stuck the flame out for Reno to light up.

The red head took a deep long drag as he relaxed a little more in his seat. Tilting his head back he let the stream of smoke shoot skywards. Aw yeah, that was stuff. "So what did you come here for? The old man's dead… not much dealin' left for you to do."

Blay for years had served as Shady Larry's supplier. He was good at scrounging up some of the best materials you could find in the slums. That and the guy was a shark when it came to dealing.

Blay ran his fingers over the piercings in his bottom lip. "I heard rumors you took out Don Reuel." His pale grey eyes met Reno's in a serious stare. "That true?"

Reno's lips curled up into an expression what most would see as a sign of dementia. "Yeah… you should've heard the way his skull broke open."

The man shut his eyes and bowed his head, his sable brown dreads spilling over his wide shoulders. Guy looked like he was praying. Fat lot of good that'd do him, thought Reno. "You little idiot…. Do you have any idea the amount of shit you're gonna be in?"

"Like I care," Reno muttered, taking another hit of the cigarette. "That bastard killed Shady Larry. People need to learn just because you can kick a dog doesn't mean it won't bite back."

"You didn't just kick a dog, Reno, you kicked a motherfucking dragon." Reno shot the guy a nasty look and he sighed. "Look, I liked Shady Larry too. He was one in a million, but people die, especially in a city like this. It's just the way things are."

Reno scowled but he couldn't argue with Blay's logic. "I'm not sorry," he stated, just to say it.

"Maybe not now," Blay said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "But that might change once the Turks are on your ass. From what I hear Don Reuel was in tight with them."

Reno visibly winced. "Fuck me."

"Not on your life."

"Fine, fuck you then."

Blay cracked a grin at that, but seconds later his frown was back in place. "Listen, kid. You need to get out of here, lay low for a bit, dye your hair, whatever and get the hell out of Midgar."

Reno was silently contemplative for a few moments. Then he smiled a bit. "Naw, I ain't going anywhere." Midgar was all he knew, ever since he'd been born. He wasn't going to skip out now just because he was in a lick of trouble. Besides, it was a big city, one he knew better than most.

Blay stared at him, dumbfounded. "They will kill you the second they find you."

"They'll have to catch me first, "Reno said grinning even more. He wasn't sure why he wasn't… okay, he'd admit, he was scared. Everyone knew about the Turks, and the key rule was, you don't mess with them. But there wasn't any rule Renocame across that he didn't bend just a little. "You said it yourself, I got the fastest legs under the plates."

Blay rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. "You're batshit insane if you think that alone will keep you safe."

"That's what I have you for, right, buddy?"

Tseng had seen plenty of carnage in his life. So when he opened the doors to the Don's house, the sight of several corpses did nothing to faze him. It was more the cause of death. Most of them suffered fatal blows to the head, their skulls emptying out onto the polished hardwood floor.

"Oh man," his partner, Talli, whispered from beside him. Her dark brown eyes took in the scene and she crinkled her nose. No doubt from the stink of blood. "What the hell happened here?"

"That's what we're going to find out," he told her, stepping further into the open area. After a quick assessment he discarded the theory of a possible raid. The place was far too intact. This was the work of a very small group. He tried flipping the light switch to offer more brightness, but nothing happened.

"Power's been cut," he murmured looking back at the carnage. "I assume they were all fighting in complete darkness." Perfect cover for the attackers. He took a closer look at the bodies and noticed something odd. "They all seem to be hit with the same weapon with the same amount of force."

"Okay, so that just means they all came through here with the same type of blunt object and were all about the same size dealing equal amounts of damage," Talli stated nodding her head.

"Actually," Tseng slowly got to his and followed the line of death up the stairs with his eyes. "I think this was caused by one person."

"One person?" she repeated in disbelief. "But how?"

"How indeed," he murmured. "Continue inspecting this floor, I'll take the upstairs."

"Sure thing, partner."

Tseng took out a pocket flashlight and continued to go farther into the house, inspecting anything he came across. It seemed at some point the attacker managed to get his hands on a firearm. From the several wounds many of the victims bore, it was not a trained professional, simply a person out for blood.

At last he reached the Don's room and the first thing he found was the man's body lying on the king sized bed. It was then perfectly clear Don Reuel was the true target. There wasn't an inch of the man's body that hadn't been beaten. His face especially was unrecognizable. His death had been slow, merciless.

"A hit that had extra casualties," Tseng murmured stepping through the door. Right away he could tell the fight in this room had been long and drawn out. There were blood stains all over the floor and bullet holes peppered the far wall. There was a well oiled gun lying on the floor in the middle of the room. Looking it over without touching it, he could see that it was a standard issue automatic pistol normally containing 9 bullets. He glanced back at the wall and counted the holes noting that there weren't enough. "Hmm..." He looked at the bloodstains once more and noticed that there was one set that seemed to trail right out the door.

He inspected the room farther not really finding anything else of interest before heading back downstairs where his partner was just finishing her investigation. "Find anything?" she asked curiously.

"Our perpetrator has been injured," Tseng answered easily. "And his target was Reuel. He was beaten beyond recognition. Whoever it was he'd upset, came here looking for revenge."

"Then that's the only thing they were here for," she stated, glancing around. "Nothing appears to be stolen, and none of the other rooms were broken into."

Tseng pulled out a cell phone and called into headquarters for a cleanup crew. Once he was done with that he turned to his partner. "Let's regroup with the others. I doubt whoever did this managed to escape completely unnoticed.

The dark skinned female nodded and the two of them left the dead house. Wall Street was busy as ever, though the death of Don Reuel had created an upset. He had been a large business head in the area, after all.

"This takes me back," Talli commented, glancing around the brightly lit street.

Tseng felt her looking at him and could guess what she was thinking about. "You're remembering when we first met."

She laughed at the memory. "You stood out so much. I ain't never seen anyone so uptight in that club before. Especially when I took the stage."

"Yes, well, I wasn't there of my own volition," Tseng muttered.

"Yeah I know," she laughed. "You'd never be caught dead in that place if it hadn't been a mission. But I'm glad you came when you did. I needed the change in pace." She grinned and poked him lightly in the side. "And in men."

Tseng sighed and continued moving down the street ignoring her obvious jab. She pouted lightly at being ignored but didn't press it, and moments later they were rejoined by their comrades.

"So, just how bad was that mansion?" a short man wearing the uniform asked coming up to the pair. His name was George. "Let me guess, the place was totaled and everything worth taking was."

"What did you two find?" the young girl next to him asked shaking her head. Her name was Cissnei, and she was Geroge's partner. She was only 13 years old and her short auburn hair framed her soft features.

"It was a hit job," Talli spoke up quickly. "Nothing was taken and apparently the Don was totaled."

George looked rather taken aback by the news while Cissnei appeared intrigued.

"What have you found?" Tseng asked the two of them.

The younger female crossed her arms. "Well, according to the girls at the Honey Bee Inn, those who were there that night didn't see the attacker. When they heard the sounds of gunshots they were too afraid to leave the bedrooms."

"There were a couple people talking about seeing a red headed kid going towards the Don's place," her male comrade informed. "It was a drifter who said he'd seen the kid leaving Wall Street with an injured arm."

Talli gave a low whistle. "Hard to believe big ol' Don Reuel gettin' knocked off by a kid."

"Anything else?" Tseng pressed. "Did anyone recognize him?"

"When we gave the description to the item shop owner, he mentioned the kid sometimes delivered him goods from a guy named Shady Larry," the other male said with a shrug.

"Oh, I know that guy," Talli piped up with a grin. "I met him a few years back. Crazy sucka, but he treated me a hella lot better than most guys around here did."

"Any idea where this Shady Larry lives?" George asked.

"In sector four, I think," Talli answered after a moment of thought. "He's really well known down here though. Anyone that needs something specially made goes to him."

"Even someone like Reuel?" Cissnei asked. They all looked at her in surprise and she shrugged. "You said it was a hit, from someone who worked with him. Chances are there was some sort of connection between the two."

George nodded. "You're right, Cissnei, good eye. Tseng, I want you and Talli to check out this Shady Larry and find out what his connection with Don Reuel was. Cissnei, you and I will report back."

They all nodded and started heading in their separate directions. "And Tseng!" The Wutain paused and turned to look at his superior. "Make sure you report in moment you find anything more."

Reno glanced around, seeing if there was anything important he missed. He knew he didn't have a lot of time and was grateful he'd had the foresight to bury Shady Larry as well as hideaway his more important and valuable items. Blay was near the door tapping his foot on the floor impatiently, not bothering to hide it from Reno he wanted to get his ass out of there asap.

"Keep doing that long enough and you might just bring the old man back to life," Reno remarked as he double checked his bearings. In a tattered old bag he managed to stuff in some nifty little trinkets that could help him out of a jam or two.

"I wouldn't be so nervous if you'd just hurry up," Blay muttered. "You're not packing for vacation you know."

"Just making sure I got everything." Once satisfied, Reno tied up the bag and slung it over his shoulder. He glanced over at the work bench where a pair of goggles sat. Reno's face tightened. Shady Larry had always worn them, whether he was working or not. He went over and picked them up sliding them over his head and around his neck. He immediately didn't like the idea of having something someone could choke him with, so he pushed them up onto his forehead causing much of the hair which hung in his face to be suspended.

Turning to Blay, he asked, "How do I look?"

"Like an idiot," Blay replied shaking his head. "I'd say forget it, but I know you'd just ignore me on purpose."

"Damn straight," Reno replied ignoring the name as he adjusted the eyewear on his head. It'd take some getting used to, but Blay was right...he wouldn't be getting rid of it.

"What do you have for weapons?" Blay asked him. Reno picked up his blood cover metal pipe and the older man snorted. "That's seriously it?"

"Well, I got this too," Reno said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a materia. "Grade 3 Lightning. Shady Larry used it mostly to charge stuff up, but I don't think he'll mind me using it for other stuff."

Blay nodded in approval. "Nice. While you're at it, take this with you." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a bright green materia.

"Ooh, is that what I think it is?" Reno asked in excitement.

Blay nodded, handing it over. "Yup, it's Cure. It'll help with your injuries but it won't save you from a fatal wound. So just don't get roughed up too badly."

"These are hard to come by down here," Reno said waving it in his hand. He tested it out by holding it to his aching arm. In moments the pain lessened and when he pulled up his sleeve, he saw the skin had all but stitched back together. "Whoa, I like. You sure you want me to have this?"

"I have a feeling you're gonna need it a lot more than me."

"Hehe, thanks man," Reno replied dropping the materia into his pocket. "Got anythin' else for me or ya sayin' bye?"

"Just comin' here is enough to possibility to get me killed," he replied with a smirk. "That cure is all yer gettin' from me." He stepped out the door as he spoke and Reno followed with the same grin.

"Shut up," he chuckled lightly as the two faced each other on the street after locking the door behind him.

"Just try not to get yourself killed, boy," Blay told him as he turned and headed towards sector 5.

"Not a chance, old man. I'll make sure you kick it before I do," Reno playfully shot back. He watched the man lift his right hand holding up only his middle finger and Reno laughed. Then he turned and started running; he knew the slums well enough, the Turks will never find him where he's going.

CM: Well, how'd you like that? Not bad for a starting chapter, huh? We'll update depending on how well received this is. So if you liked it and you want more, let us know. :D