Title: Angry Angel
WIP: 1/?
AN: this is the sequel to pretty hate machine, and this shit is bananas, because the plot i had to pretty hate machine could run for so much longer, and i decided to just go with it, this story will allso include violence and gore, murder and dismemberment. again id like to thank Ed Gein & John Wayne Gacy, just for being. and the movie bodyparts for being an inspiration. I introduced a character named Raiden, i would never introduce a oc, unless he was crusial to the plot. now enjoy girls and germs..
Betaed by; erestorjunkie
Rating: R for violence
Disclaimer: none of these characters are mine, sad but true.
Summary: Reno goes home and finds exsactly why he left in the first place.
Warnings: AU! Angst.
Pairings: Reno/Cloud Reno/Tseng

I hear that you’re building your little house deep in the desert
You’re living for nothing now,
I hope you’re keeping some kind of record.

And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you,
I guess I forgive you
I’m glad you stood in my way.

Leonard Cohen – The famous blue raincoat

1. I guess that I miss you.

He was tired to the bone as he tossed himself on the cot in the room that he and his brother shared. It seemed silly that two grown men shared a little room, still complete with a teddy bear in the windowsill. But both he and Raiden had somehow ended up here. To Reno, this was little short of a declaration of failure, He had left here in anger when he was nothing but a big kid, and had never looked back, knowing he had caused them all grief, both his parents and Raiden who had stayed behind. None of them had any idea what had happened to him after he left here, he had never called, never written, he could just as well had been dead. And he had liked it that way, and yet he found himself here. Not only was he laying on the bed he had slept in as a kid, he used to work for the most powerful man on the planet, having his daily routine there, carrying out whatever Rufus would ask of him without asking questions.

Reno coughed and rolled on to his back, looking at his hands, they were covered in dirt and oil. His clothes from Midgar were neatly folded together with his cell phone and e-mag in the closet at the foot end of his bed. If this had not been so damn absurd he could have cried. He heard the door and looked up at his brother who leaned against the doorframe with a little knowing smile, “Dinner is ready,” he said.

“Wonderful,” Reno whined and sat up in the bed.

“And dad is home too,” Raiden said with a badly hidden chuckle.

“It just keeps getting better, donnit?” Reno growled and got up from the bed, and walked after Raiden down to the kitchen, their mother smiled as she carried a bowl of food and placed it at the middle of the dining table, and out of old habit, both Raiden and Reno started to set the table.

Moments later as they sat to ate, Raiden looked at Reno and said, “Oi, Reno. How come you put your cell away with the rest of your stuff?”

Reno looked up at his brother, with his mouth full of food and just shook his head, giving Raiden a deadly glare. But just as he had swallowed his food and was about to say something, the phone rang, and under much protest their dad got up to answer. The rest continued to eat, and then their dad came and sat down at the table. “It is for you Reno,” he said with a strange expression.

“Who is it?” Reno said, almost afraid to hear the answer.

“Don’t know, he didn’t introduce himself,” his father said, looking over at their mother.

Reno stood up and walked over to the phone, picking up the receiver. “Hello?” he said, turning his back to his family, who he knew were all trying to listen in.

“Reno?” a voice said at the other end.

“Yeah,” Reno said, leaning against the wall, twirling the phone cord between his fingers. “Tseng?”

“Yes,” Tseng said at the other end, “I finally found you.”

“You did,” Reno sighed, “..Why? Did Rufus?...”

“No he didn’t ask for you,” Tseng said knowing what Reno was asking, “But he hasn’t gotten a replacement either.”

Reno let out a breath he didn’t knew he had been holding. “So, why did you call?” he asked.

“I don’t know, I guess I wanted to make sure you were alright,” Tseng said.

“Liar,” Reno whispered, with a faint smile on his lips.

“Alright,” Tseng said, “Something has happened, and I need to speak with you, but we can’t discuss this over the phone.”

“Is Cloud alright?” Reno asked, all to aware that his sadness was apparent in his voice.

“I don’t know,” Tseng said. “Want me to check up on him?”

Reno could have screamed ‘yes’, but he just untwirled the phone cord from his fingers and whispered “no.”

“Alright then, I will be there in some days,” Tseng said and hung up.

Reno hung up too, and went back to the dinner table. The others were finished eating but still waited for him. “Old colleague from work,” Reno said, avoiding his father’s glare. “He just needed to know something, its nothing big.” His dad nodded, but clearly didn’t quite believe him.

Raiden looked at Reno and said “look why don’t we go to the pub tonight, huh? You need to get out man.”

“No, I..” Reno started, but then Raiden cut him off. “Come on Reno,” he whined.

“Alright,” Reno mumbled as he nodded, knowing all too well that his brother didn’t mean to go to the pub at all, but to the Tennant barracks, he could hear it in his voice, and he knew this old game of theirs.

____________________________________________________

After leaving the house they both walked down the street, Reno lit a cigarette, and kicked a stone. “I am not fighting for you Rai,” he said. “No fucking way.”

Raiden stopped and grabbed Reno’s shoulders and looked directly into Reno’s blue eyes that were identical to his own, “You had a brilliant career going for you here, you could have been Ox’s premium fighter, but instead you ran off to wherever,” Raiden took a deep breath “I understand you wanted to leave, but this is what you are good at man, you are not cut out to fix up peoples cars and bikes, or any of the stupid crap that you do for a living. You make fucking ten times as much one fight as you do from a weeks pay, and you know it.”

“Rai, you just don’t fucking get it, do you?” Reno growled, pushing his brother away from him, “I don’t want to fucking fight!”

“Chill, man, let’s just go there and have a drink and see what happens, ok?” Raiden said holding out his hands before he turned and started to walk down the pitch-black road. “So,” Raiden said after they had walked in silence for some time, “This Tseng dude you spoke on the phone to, is he your boyfriend?”

Reno groaned and shuttered due to the cold crisp air. “No,” he said firmly ,“he’s just an old colleague, and I’m pretty sure he wouldn't appreciate it if I rammed my big fat cock up his ass,” Reno rolled his eyes “Honestly Raiden, you are just so fucking clueless sometimes.”

“Yea well,” Raiden chuckled. “I will never know if I didn’t ask.” Raiden stopped and ran a hand through his black hair. “I know you had a hard time here, with all that.. you know.. romance thing.”

Reno stopped too and raised a brow “Romance thing?” he said, shaking his head in disbelief, “why are we suddenly discussing my non existent love life?”

“Well,” Raiden said, fiddling his sleeve “I just wondered, since you have looked so sad for so long,” he smiled and looked at his younger brother, “Yeah, I have noticed that look on you, I am your brother remember”?

Reno nodded “Yeah, I left someone behind,” he just said, not offering his brother more information, before he started to walk again.

“Reno,” Raiden said pleadingly as he ran after his brother.

“Look I don’t want to talk about it ok?” Reno sneered, “Lets just get to the damn bar.”

____________________________________________

Once at the Tennant barracks, Reno walked in after his brother, looking at the familiar and unfamiliar faces in the place. He could do this, if he could take on a goddamn half army by himself, then he could walk into a damn fight club. Raiden went to get them drinks and Reno sat down at a table, cracking his knuckles, listening to the meaty sound of fist meeting flesh and the roar of the crowd in the background. The music was loud, too loud to speak, but the sounds of the fight seemed to drown out everything else for Reno. “Here, your drink.” Raiden yelled over the music, and placed a large glass of something Reno couldn't tell what was, probably some homemade shit that would make you go blind and deaf. Just what he needed.

“Thanks,” he mouthed back to his brother, and took a massive swing of the liquid.

And after three such drinks, Raiden leaned in and yelled. “I’m gonna go watch the fight, wanna come?”

Reno nodded, he didn’t know why he nodded, he didn’t want to see the fight at all, all he wanted was to go home to Midgar and reclaim his life, instead of this lame excuse for it. But none the less he got up and walked after his brother to the fight in the back of the place. This was a big fight, Reno could tell, not only by the blackboard with the odds but also from the smell of the room, sweat, blood and anticipation. He moved closer to the little arena, made of what had once been supposed to be a swimming pool, but had never been filled with water, as these buildings had never become the hotel it should have been, the mine had run dry, and with that the people left, and then there was no use for any hotel in Undereast falls. And then it had ended its days being an arena for people bored or broke enough to fight each other for the amusement of others. Before it had been dog fights, or cock fights. But since neither animal was available anymore, they used whatever they had left, themselves.

Reno and Raiden pushed closer. Reno could feel his nausea rise as he approached the edge, looking down into the pit that had never ever been cleaned. He had fought many times down there, sliding in other fighter’s blood. He looked down at the two in the pit, seeing how they both prepared mentally for the fight. He recognized most of the faces here, nothing had really changed, and it was as time had stood still here. A brilliant career, ha! Sometimes he wished he could tell his brother what it was he really did for a living, but Rai wouldn't believe him, and he didn’t want to worry any of them. Reno had not noticed that Raiden had been gone at all, but he was suddenly handed another drink, drinking it slowly he watched the fighters who had begun circling each other, and then to the crowds amusement suddenly went at it, trashing each other.

The winner was the big guy with an ugly tattoo, Reno shook his head; this was fucking stupid. And he turned to leave when Raiden grabbed his arm, “You’re next,” he said with a little smile.

“What?” Reno snapped. “Fuck that man!”

“Come on, you can take that inbred retard down there,” Raiden said, pointing to the tattooed guy in the pit.

“So?” Reno growled “I told you, I am not fighting any one, not you, not him,” he pointed at a guy next to them, “and not Jethro down there.” Reno shook his head and pushed through the crowd.

“Reno!” Raiden called, running after his brother “I bet all my money on this”!

“Tuff tits,” Reno growled, pushing Raiden away.

“Reno man, the odds are 6 to 1,” Raiden said, “I will split with you.”

Reno lifted a brow, “fifty, fifty?”

“Yes!” Raiden almost cried. “Come on man, I will buy you three drinks, you down them and go beat the crap out of that wanker down in the pit.”

Reno looked at his brother with an annoyed glare. “Four” he said just to make his brother pay for putting him in this situation. Raiden nodded eagerly, and walked over to the bar after Reno.

Staring at the four large glasses in front of him, Reno took a deep breath, “I’m gonna get you for this,” he hissed to his brother, Reno knew all too well that he had asked for this, he had followed Raiden, and let him talk him into this ludicrous idea, not that he had opposed much really. Reno grabbed the fist glass and downed it in one drag, and the next, and the next, until all four glasses was empty. Standing at the bar looking off into nothing, he took off his jacket and handed it to his brother, while he lit a cigarette on a candle, “ok lets go” he mumbled and turned to go over to the pit again. It felt so surreal to descend the metal ladder again, he turned around and looked at his opponent, he was bigger than he had thought, but it didn’t matter much, he would take him out.

He heard the scorekeeper cry ‘fight’ and watched the other man in the pit intensely; how the fuck had he ended up here? It didn’t matter now, what did matter was when he had won this he would have enough money to drown it all out in alcohol. Reno waited patiently for the opponent to come to him, which he did, a smile spread on Reno’s face as he whirled around and kicked downwards on the other man’s knee with all his weight, hearing the sound of the large tattooed man’s knee splinter, he knew he had him down, twirling again, he placed his other kick at the opponents throat, sending the injured man several feet backwards and slamming into the pits wall with a loud sound. Looking down at the unconscious bleeding man, Reno smiled again, and looked arrogantly up at his brother, before he climbed up the ladder again.

Raiden looked completely dumbstruck, “Where the hell did you learn that?” he said.

“I seem to recall it was you who said that the only thing I was really good at was fighting,” Reno hissed as he walked after his brother over to the scorekeeper.

“Yeah, but still,” Raiden said, awestruck. Handing a note to the scorekeeper, and receive a large pile of money notes.

“Good fight,” The scorekeeper said, looking at Reno. “Next time, put on more of a show”

Reno just nodded and mumbled thanks, before he walked after his brother towards the bar.

____________________________

Later as they left the barracks, sharing a bottle of homebrew, dangling home, Raiden sat down in the side of the road to catch his breath and make the world stop spinning. And Reno sat down next to him reaching out for the bottle, “I married her you know,” Raiden suddenly said.

Reno giggled and shook his head, “Who?”

“That chick, Suz,” Raiden said.

Reno laughed softly, “Yeah, I remember that skank. Why the hell did you marry her?”

“I knocked her up, and well it was the right thing to do,” Raiden said with a little giggle and reached for the bottle, “doesn’t matter now tho, she lives with someone else and has like four kids or something.”

“Good for her,” Reno said, until he fully understood what Raiden said, “wait man,” he said, turning his head and looked at his brother “you have a kid?”

Raiden nodded, “I haven’t seen him since he was two, he doesn’t even know who I am anymore,” sighing before he took another sip of the bottle. “Rayne,” he said.

“That’s tuff man,” Reno said, getting caught up in the moment, he laid a hand on his brothers shoulder. “You need to get out of this town, go somewhere else and forget this damn place.”

Raiden nodded, “Was that what you did when you left?”

“Sorta,” Reno said softly, removing his hand from Raiden’s shoulder. “I always hated this fucking place, and all the people in it.”

“If you leave, take me with you,” Raiden said as he moved to stand up. “Don’t leave me behind here again.”

Reno knew he should refuse, but he nodded and whispered, “I promise.”

“Besides I fucked all the prostitutes here,” Raiden chuckled.

Reno laughed, amused as he too got to his feet, trailing after his brother down the road.

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