Its still getting worse after everything I tried.

What if I found a way to wash it all aside.

I am justified.

I am purified.

I am sanctified.

Inside you

NIN – sanctified.

4. Sanctified.

The next morning Reno woke to the smell of coffee and something else, something he couldn't put his finger on, he stirred on the sofa, and it took him several minutes to realise he was not at home. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Good morning,” Tseng said sounding merry. “I was just about to wake you, its six thirty.”

Reno crawled off of his sofa bed, and walked over to the barstool, resting his elbows on the island counter. He didn’t speak, he just watched Tseng moving about in the kitchen. “Here is some coffee,” Tseng said as he slid a cup over the counter.

“Thanks,” Reno mumbled, and scratched his hair, “what is that smell?” he finally asked.

“I got up early, and well.. Its waffles,” Tseng said with an apologetic shrug.

“Man,” Reno mumbled and looked up at Tseng in surprise, “I haven’t had those since Clo.. uhm, in a long time.”

Tseng just nodded and turned on the radio, before he sat down and started on his own breakfast.

__________________________________________

Reno had been dropped off by his car, and Tseng had gone on to the lab, to see whatever they could pry out of Folsom. Reno continued to the shanty town.

Arriving there, he got out of the car and nodded to the officers who were already there, “So what can you tell me?” he said, standing next to the local sheriff.

“Other than this kid was not killed here, that’s for sure? I don’t know,” the Sheriff said.

“Who owns that shack?” Reno asked.

“Leo,” the sheriff said.

“Trotskji?” Reno said with badly hidden surprise.

“Yes,” the sheriff looked confused, “but he is not the killer.”

“How would you know?” Reno said, looking at the sheriff.

“Point one he is my brother, point two he was found dead yesterday afternoon,” the sheriff said.

“I’m sorry,” Reno said, not really, but he was sorry that he just lost the only lead he had. “Oh well, there is only one thing to do then, and that is to ask who ever lives around here if they saw something.”

“We already did that,” the sheriff said “and it turned up with nothing”

“Crap!” Reno hissed. He took his phone and dialled Tseng. His partner seemed very upset when he called.

“You wont believe this!” Tseng said. “But remember I asked you what all these kids have in common?”

“Yeah,” Reno said, “apart from meeting the psycho?”

“Yes, yes.. Apart from that, they are all missing their liver, kidneys and heart,” Tseng said. “Now what do you suppose someone would do with those?”

“Beats me, this person is sick enough to wear them as a necklace while he dances about naked in the rain singing Mary had a little lamb,” Reno said with a sigh.

“They were not ripped out, but removed with great care,” Tseng said.

“So, this is about organ harvesting?” Reno said, “I thought that only existed in urban legends to scare kids,” Reno shook his head and chuckled to himself. “Don’t go straying about little Billy, the bogeyman might take your liver and sell it for a fortune on the black market.”

“I’m glad you’re amused,” Tseng said dryly. “But here’s a story for you, remember the rumours right after the earth was scorched?” Reno was silent on the other end, and Tseng continued, “It was told that in remote areas the famine was so great that people would eat each other, and the stories say that some people developed a taste for it.”

“So,” Reno said with a tiny voice “What if he harvested those organs, not to get rich, but..”

“To eat them,” Tseng finished. “Yes, that is my theory.”

“Man, that is disgusting!” Reno whispered. “What I fail to see is what the fuck this all has to do with Rufus Shin-ra.”

Tseng sighed, “So do I.”

____________________________________________

The rest of the day was completely uneventful, and they didn’t get closer to caching anybody. When evening came, Reno was homeless once more, because the police had sealed his apartment. And so he drove to Tseng’s place, feeling stupid as he rang the bell, as the door opened Reno looked surprised. “Oh crap! I’m sorry,” he said as he saw Elena as she stood in the door.

“Reno,” she said with a smile, and gestured for him to come inside, “Tseng asked me to come here, he knew you’d show up.”

“He knew my place was sealed?” Reno said.

Elena nodded, “so he went to Shin-ra for reasons he wouldn't tell me, but asked me to stay here to let you in,” Elena laughed softly. “Actually he was sure you would go out drinking.”

“Clever one, that Tseng,” Reno said as he hung p his wet jacket, and stepped inside. “Uhm you know him better than I do, do you recon it would be alright if I borrow some dry clothes?”

“I’m sure he wouldn't mind,” Elena said, as she walked to the kitchen.

Reno went to Tseng’s bedroom, and opened his closet, not many surprises there, packed with the standard issue turk stuff, but as he rummaged about he found some sweatpants and a t-shirt. Getting dressed he wet back to Elena in the kitchen. “Much better,” he said. “Or rather it’s dry.”

Elena just smiled and handed him a cup of hot coffee. “How is the investigation going, special agent Vaughan?” she asked, not able to stifle the little grin it brought to her lips.

“Don’t remind me,” Reno groaned. “Its going absolutely fucking nowhere, I will be stuck here in this limbo until this fuck is caught, or he just drops dead himself.”

“Have you thought about that people might be afraid to tell you what they know?” Elena said. “Come on, Reno! You were trained better than that, don’t believe the crap people tell you.”

Reno sipped his coffee “I guess you’re right,” he stood up and got his cigarettes. Lighting one up he relaxed in his seat again. “So, how is Rude?”

“He’s fine,” Elena said, “just fiiine.”

Reno lifted an eyebrow, “is he, really,” he said with a smirk.

Elena had the decency to blush, and look dreamily off into the air. “What can I say?”

“Other than it being bad work ethics to hump your partner?” Reno grinned.

“Well apart from that” Elena grinned.

“Ain’t he just the big cuddely-wuddely one,” Reno laughed. “You guys.. I’d never had thought that for a second.”

“Neither would we,” Elena said, “and well I know its wrong, and hush, hush.. But you can keep a secret, cant you Reno?”

“Sure,” Reno said. “Look, you can just go back to Shin-ra, I am fine, I don’t need a baby sitter, besides that I am mush, I need to sleep.” He stood up and walked over to the sofa and let himself fall down.

“I don’t think Tseng will be home tonight, so why don’t you just sleep in his bed?” Elena said.

Reno raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? I don’t think he would appreciate me sleeping in his bed.”

“Blame me then,” Elena said, and smiled triumphantly as Reno made his way to Tseng’s bed.

He laid on top of the blankets, thinking it would be a little much if he actually invaded Tseng’s bed like that, but being tired to the bone, he didn’t think about it for long, neither did he hear Elena leave, or Tseng come home.

Tseng wondered what Reno was doing in his bed, but he looked so peaceful in his sleep, that he didn’t bother waking him, so he just stripped to his underwear and crawled under the blankets and tried to relax, that was hard with Reno sleeping so close, he could hear his breathing and feel the heaviness of someone else laying on the mattress, but eventually Tseng too fell asleep.

________________________

As the morning light came through the window, Reno stirred, feeling a warm body curled up against his, he didn’t bother with waking up, he just purred lazily and relished the close contact, but as his brain slowly woke up, he realised that he was not in his own bed, and it did not feel like a female arm draped over him, so Tseng must have had returned anyways, oh man! And here he was stuck with Tseng and sporting a very healthy morning erection, this was just bad, or very nice, depending how you chose to look at it.

To Reno’s surprise the arm that had been draped over him suddenly moved and found its way under his t-shirt, and a set of soft lips met his neck, which gave him goose bumps. Reno rolled over to his back, and turned his head, looking at Tseng, who was very much awake, but he couldn't think of anything to say, and maybe words would just be stupid, so instead he hooked a arm around Tseng’s neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Reno whimpered with need as he felt Tseng’s tongue explore his mouth, it felt like it had been aeons since he had been kissed, and his whole body screamed with need, it was alright, it was not like cheating was it? Cloud had left, not asking him to keep it in his pants or anything.

But Tseng who had initiated it, was also the one who broke it off. He pulled back and sat up in the bed, running a hand through his hair. “I shouldn’t have done that,” he said.

“Yes, you should” Reno said with a slightly whining tone, “don’t stop now.”

Tseng turned around and looked at Reno with a little strange smile. “Its time to get up,” he just said, rising from the bed.

“Fuck!” Reno growled, and rolled out of the bed too, this was just too much man, too much!

-TBC-