The lights of Edge passed slowly as the two cruised down its busy streets. The weather decided to warm up unexpectedly. The deterioration of the atmosphere due to decades of Shin-Ra's pollution completely destroyed the climate of the area. A cold winter day can become a cool autumn one over night. Rude shook his head of the thought as he watched Reno slouch low in his seat,  the desolate landscape passing by his attentive eyes. He drove as the other watched some children in rags run in different directions as the car slowly passed by.

“Midgar might be gone, but this is still looking a lot like the slums to me,” the red head commented as their mothers pulled them away from the imposing vehicle.

“New place same rules,” Rude said shortly before looking to the road once more.

Edge might not have been Midgar, but the people of the slums had to go somewhere and the wealthy decided to gather them once again and forced them to the outskirts of the city. While Shin-Ra was in shambles the city dived into anarchy before Rufus could demand control and place himself back onto his thrown. Although the Shinra line was back in charge, the order had already been set and too many people in powerful places didn't want change. It was a messy situation that only time and the right amount of aggression could solve. For now the slum still exist.

Reno snorted at the bald caramel man, “I guess hoping for change was a bit too much, huh?”

Rude gave a small nod in response. Again Reno snorted, rolling his eyes for measure. Rude could tell that he was starting to tire of broken dreams.

The car slowed to a stop at a red light as they moved further into the inner city. More cars sped across them, those lucky enough to still have them after everything riding within. Rude followed them as they passed, stopping to glance at the other from the corner of his shade covered eyes.

“It's a true shame, Rude,” Reno sighed as he continued to eye the streets, “Who would think that after all the that went down, people still feel the need to show off what little money they got left. We should be trying to rebuild together, not doing this bull.”

Rude knew that the man wasn't really speaking at face value. Rude knew that the red head was talking about more then just the slums reemerging and people wasted their wealth. He could hear the bitterness in his partner's voice and he knew that the other could hear it too. Reno wasn't upset with the wealthy, he was upset with himself.

“I already know what you thinking, Rude, so don't even start,” Reno said suddenly knowing that Rude could see right through him, “Tseng sent us out here to snatch stolen materia not talk about our feelings.”

The light changed and the car moved once more, silence filling its interior. Rude gave a tired sigh as Reno eyes went to the sidewalks once again. The red was carefully watching for unusual green glows and globe holding jewelry. He was carefully keeping his eyes away from him. Rude knew that this was Reno's way of ignoring him and usually he would let him, however he couldn't stand back and watch anymore. Watching the mistreated people of the slums sparked memories in the red-head that he didn't want to remember. Dropping the plate was getting to him. Rude could tell. The man wanted forgiveness. So Reno was trying to atone the only way he knew how, and his little blonde charity case was slowly eating away at him.

“Sungmin's not going to make things better,” Rude simply uttered Reno stopped cold.

“He ain't got to do with me,” Reno said, his eyes cold and distant.

“He's got a lot to do with you,” he returned as they turned a corner, a green glow happened to pass his eye.

Reno saw it too, hand hastely pulling the door open before Rude could pull to a complete stop. He hopped out anyway, the momentum forcing him into a little jog, before he slammed the door shut and lit his EMR. Rude shook his head before exiting as well. He'll get through, but the job comes first.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Reno squared his shoulders and propped his crackling EMR on one. Rude was right beside him as he always was, rotating his wrist and pulling his metal plated leather gloves onto his hands. He sighed when he saw the man. They will handle their problems later, now they focused on the mission.

A man around Reno's height looked up at the crackling electricity with round eyes and quivering red lips. He was a smaller man, but still thicker than Reno. His dark black hair was matted to his head as his pearly white skin was covered in the dirt of the slums. The Turk briefly thought that the other would be breathtaking if he had bath and a decent meal, before bitterly remembering the many times he's heard the same thing said to him and his twin. He silently questioned what was an obvious slumdog doing on this side of town, anyway. This boy was obviously far from home.

“Mind telling me where you got that,” Reno questioned as wild electricity stopped just at his wild hair, causing it to raise.

The red head gestured with his head to the chain dangling from the other's neck with a materia hanging as its pendent. He smirked as he saw the other back away, clearly intimidated by the wild man. However, as he turned to run, Rude stood in his way. The brute sneaking behind the other as he was preoccupied with Reno. The raven stumbled away from him in a panic, eyes wild and darting back and forth between the Turks.

“I know I'm pretty to look at,” Reno said, “But you should really keep an eye on your surroundings.”

Rude grabbed onto the man's wrist. He pushed him back into the middle of the two, the small man falling onto his behind from the force of it. He then quickly backed into a wall before covering himself with his surprisingly thick arms.

“You guys are Turks right? Please don't hurt me,” the man called as he huddled further into himself, “I mean no harm.”

“I don't make promises that I can't keep, kid,” Reno said with a wicked smile, “So no guarantees.”

“No,” the other nearly shrieked, “Please.”

Reno made a disgusted face before pulling back, “Just answer me kid.”

The man blinked at Reno's words before pulling his arms down and peeking at the red head. Reno gave a raised eyebrow as he lit a cigarette, lighting it with the sparks of his EMR before taking a drag.

“I'll answer you,” he said in a rush, “Just don't kill me.”

“Trust me,” Rude said with a smirk, “If a red wants you dead, you will be.”

Reno glared at him before turning to the cornered man, “So how about you answer my question? Where did you get that necklace from?”

The raven slowly crawled his way up the wall, his coal eyes darting between the two before looking down at the pendant on his neck in disdain, “I woke up with it around my neck. It won't come off.”

The two Turks glanced at each other, before turning hard eyes on the boy.

“I don't like being lied to,” Reno said with a snarl, “So I suggest you start speaking the truth.”

“I am,” the other one exclaimed, “Try it for yourself. It really won't move.”

Reno snorted, unbelieving, before grabbing the raven by his wrist and reaching for his neck. As his pale fingers began to close in, the pendent began to glow a bright white. Then it covered the questing finger in ice. Reno cursed before jerking his finger back with a hiss. He turned angry and confused eyes to his partner and Rude gave him raised eyebrow in return. They both knew that if Reno left his hand in there any longer, his finger would have frozen off.

“What the is this,” Reno snarled as he pulled harshly on the other and forcing him to the car.

The raven stumbled into the back seat, eyes wide and fearful as Reno slammed the door shut and hopped into the passenger side. He bolted straight up and grabbed the back of the seats in front of him in panic.

“Wait,” he screamed, “I didn't do anything! I told you the truth!”

“We'll see if you have anymore truth to share when we get back to HQ, kid,” Reno spat, "And I suggest you sit back before I make you."

“But I told you everything I know,” the raven returned.

“Course you did,” Rude said as he drove further out of Edge.

“Yo,” Reno chirped as he took another drag of his cigarette, “If I gil for every time I heard that line before.”

The boy whimpered before slumping in this seat defeated. He resigned to his fate as the slick black car pulled into Shin-ra HQ.

/\\\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\

Tseng stood on the other side of the two way mirror, mind stuttering to a halt as he caught sight of the raven within. He knew those deep onyx eyes and that sheet white skin. Though the years have passed, he would never forget the first time he laid eyes on him. He would never forget the times they held onto one another as they hid together in the depths of the slums, protecting each other from the people that hated their kind. Time may had passed since they last saw each other but Tseng would never forget Kim Jaejoong.

The head Turk took a deep sigh before reached for the doorknob, throwing old memories and unrealized feelings behind him as he calmly took a seat across from his prisoner – his best friend.

“Hello Jaejoong,” Tseng said calmly.

The raven finally looked up from his chains, his oval eyes widening in shock as he took in the man across from him, “Tseng? Is that really you?”

“It's been a while,” the Wutain said his voice monotone.

“Leviathan,” Jaejoong whispered as tears filled his eyes, “You're alive. You're ok.”

The chained raven than leaped from his seat as he tried to hug the man across from him before the handcuffs forced him to his seat again. The Turk shook his head at the sight before standing and going to the other instead, wrapping him in a hug. How could the Turk ever think that he could be indifferent towards this man that is so full of life.

“I've missed you,” he finally whispered into the other's dark hair, “I've missed you so much.”

Jaejoong smiled as he snuggled into the other's chest like so many years prior, “I've missed you too.”

The Turk than held the other at arms length before his face became serious once more, “Why are you here, Jae?”

The raven looked down the necklace that hung between the two, its pendent giving a soft glow, "Because of this."

As if the rock could tell that it was being watched, it glowed a bright white, illuminating them both before bathing Tseng with a soft, cold breeze. The light glowed brighter as Tseng curiously reached out to it, the charm surrounding Tseng's finger in a swirl of ice, however never touching him with it. When the inquisitive finger finally touched the materia, ice burst from the rock, bathing the room in snow and ice. The once intimidating interrogation room now resembles a winter wonderland.

“It's never done that before,” Jaejoong whispered as he stared around in shock, “This is beautiful.”

“Where did you get this,” Tseng tried to question harshly but his voice came out in an awed whisper.

“I don't know,” Jaejoong said, “I just woke up and it was there.”

They then both turned to the stone, eyes glazed over in wonder before Tseng spoke once more, “Did you feel that?”

“Feel what?”

Tseng sat quietly as he looked at the stone that hung itself around Jaejoong neck. The feeling that engulf him when he was bathed in that stone's glow was something that he's never felt when handling materia before. Actually it was something that he hasn't felt since his childhood in Wutai.

“Peace,” the man spoke as he stared into the pendent, “I felt at peace.”

Tseng finally looked up from the pendent as the two lock eyes, a deep connection and understanding passing between them.

“I felt it too.”

“Jaejoong, old friend,” the Wutain said, “ I need to know how you found that gem.”