InsaneJournal

"Professional Opinion", FF7 & Saiyuki
Title: Professional Opinion
Author: Cephy
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII, Saiyuki
Characters: Reno, Hakkai
Rating: R for violence
Warnings: Will make a lot more sense if you know Hakkai's story, and what Reno's job is.
Prompt/challenge: Reno and Hakkai with the title "Professional Opinion"

The last body fell with a sound that would have disturbed him an hour before. Hakkai let himself stop, close his eyes, lean against the wall and try to catch his breath.

A footstep-- behind. Perfectly fitting that it should come just as he let his guard down. Not enough time to turn, but maybe--

"My, my. Isn't this a pretty picture. Didn't expect to find someone already doing my job for me."

Unexpectedly, the footsteps went right past him, until he could see they belonged to a man with wild red hair and an easy slouch-- a man dressed in a dark blue suit, and if Hakkai hadn't firmly given up feeling for the time being he might have become nervous, because you didn't live in Midgar without knowing what that suit meant. Still, the Turk didn't attack him, didn't even look at him, just walked past and bent to peer at one of the bodies before giving a low whistle. "You got one hell of a grudge, man. Since, y'know, you don't look the sort that'd do this for fun."

He glanced up, grinning sharp and toothy like he was actually inviting the obvious add-on to that statement-- only to shift the expression into a hard stare halfway through. Like he could see that Hakkai was starting to think that he could maybe, if he moved fast enough--

"Don't."

Hakkai let out his breath in a soundless sigh that left him slumped back against the wall. "Are you--"

"With them? Nah. Keep your shorts on." He stood, nudging a second body over with the toe of his boot and then visibly dismissing the whole lot. "Just need to have a quick word with their boss."

"That is a conincidence," Hakkai heard himself say. "I was wanting to speak to him myself."

The resulting flash of teeth was very white in the dimness. "Maybe I'll let you tag along, then. I do like to talk, but I've been known to let people get a word in edgewise, from time to time. If they've got somethin' to say?"

Hakkai thought of long hair, terrified eyes, a broken doorframe and blood on the floor. "Oh," he said, "a comment or two, certainly."

There was suddenly shouting in the distance, muffled by walls and echoed by hallways-- closing in. Hakkai shoved himself upright with more of an effort than he expected-- a mistake to stop, and he should have known it, but hadn't ever thought it would take this long. He wrapped careful fingers around the hilt of his knife, and managed not to stare when the Turk just shrugged his shoulders and sent a violet snap of electricity running down the club in his hand.

Bodies burst in both doors, anonymous and unmemorable. Hakkai took the first one out with a sidestep and a slash to the throat. The second man was on him before he recovered, and it was only a hard elbow to the gut that kept him from being taken to the ground-- a clumsy movement, and nearly too late, but he managed.

Through the haze of it all he heard the Turk laugh, saw him standing back and watching. "Not bad! Y'could use some practice, but for a beginner-- still, you gotta get more of your shoulder into it." As if to demonstrate, he stepped forward and swung his own weapon in a smooth, vicious arc, clubbing his opponent to the ground, spattering blood across shoes and fingers.

A lull again, and in the distance there was only silence. Broken by the scuffing of nearby shoes, the crack-sizzle of elecricity being cut off, and Hakkai realized that at some point he'd closed his eyes, had leaned back against that wall. Wrapped both hands against the blood soaking his shirt because it seemed he hadn't been as careful as he'd thought.

"Suppose I'm gonna have to take you in for questioning or some shit." The Turk was walking closer, but all Hakkai could see when he forced eyelids open was his shoes. "Or at least make sure you don't bleed to death. With the way medical services runs it'd probably be more of a mercy to just kill you here and now, but, eh. Rules are rules."

Hakkai was gripped under his arms, slung up to almost-upright. "Who knows," the Turk's voice continued, sounding amused, "play your cards right, you might even get offered a job. We can always use a few good conversationalists."