As it turned out, they didn't talk much during their trip across the ocean after all. Through what little conversation that did occur, Tseng learned that Reeve's mount was named Maduin and, as a red chocobo, it had the curious ability to cross rivers and oceans, but not mountains. Although Maduin was not as fast as Gau, he was a bit more tame; thus was Reeve able to keep pace with Tseng throughout their journey. For the rest of the night on through morning they rode, and did not get their first glimpse of dry land until roughly an hour before noon. It was then that Tseng told Reeve they should stop and rest, and they guided their chocobos toward an oddly-shaped peninsula that jutted out from the southern coastline of the Western Continent.
         "I probably shouldn't go much further right now," Tseng said. "Tonight I'm to meet Elena on the island where the Temple is located."
         "She's joining you on this mission?"
         "Yes."
         "Good luck to the both of you."
         "Thanks. If all goes well, we need not worry about AVALANCHE thwarting our plans," Tseng said pointedly, glancing over at a disquietingly calm Reeve. "They kicked you out, didn't they."
         "You mean out of Cloud's party? No, I'm still with them."
         "What? But how?"
         "I had an ace up my sleeve," he said, smiling thinly. "I arranged for Barret's daughter to be placed in my custody, and I made Cloud aware of that. He had no choice in the matter, really."
         Tseng paused, then nodded; it was classic blackmail. "How were you able to pull that off? You're well aware that no one else was to have knowledge of your mission."
         "I found a case pending while I was in the Corporate Libraries the other day. There were certain zoning-related problems with Elmyra Gainsborough's property. I used these as an excuse to evict her and Marlene, then remotely accessed the intercom in their holding cell and connected it to Cait's PHS. With a little help from that signal, I let Cloud know my terms."
         "Very clever of you, but it amazes me that you'd go through all that trouble just to give yourself an added bit of security. I also find it startling that you of all people would abuse your position like that."
         Reeve scoffed, "Abuse? If you consider that little trick of mine to be 'abuse'…" The executive sank against the side of his seated chocobo as Tseng drew some food out of his saddlebags. "I know real abuse of power, Tseng. Believe me."
         "Do you mean you have witnessed such misconduct, or know how to go about it yourself?"
         As expected, Reeve didn't reply. Tseng examined him carefully, finding his expression difficult to read. On further pondering of Reeve's brash actions, Tseng began to suspect that Cloud and Aeris' presence in Chocobo Square was no accident.
         "Reeve," Tseng said, casually pulling out his gun and pointing it at the executive. "You had other reasons for taking custody of—essentially kidnapping—Elmyra and Marlene, didn't you. You wanted Cloud to know you were a spy."
         His expression stern and unwavering, Reeve stared down at the gun, then back up at Tseng. Quietly, he answered, "Yes. I did want them to know."
         "Do you have any idea what you've done?" Tseng said, his anger rising. "Why, Reeve?"
         "How else am I going to earn their trust? They may hate me now, but—"
         "What are you saying? Are you telling me that you want to become their ally?"
         "Aeris believes in Cloud, believes that he's doing the right thing. And so do I."
         The mention of his childhood friend's name in this context was enough to jolt the Turk out of his ire, but not vanquish it altogether. Lowering his gun, he happened to glance at the breakfast he had pulled out of his bags; Tseng was hungry, but food was the last thing on his mind right now.
         "So what prompted you to make this decision? I thought you hated AVALANCHE."
         "I hate their deeds and methods, sure, but after seeing what went on between Barret and Dyne in the Corel Desert, I can't entirely blame them. You remember Corel, Tseng."
         "You don't have to remind me."
         "I know, but if you recall, the villagers didn't incite the riots—we Shinra did." Reeve stared at the grass. "The reactor explosion was due to a flaw in the design that failed to fully account for the region's geology; Urban Dev knew that much. However, the investigation—"
         "Reeve, please stop."
         "The investigation was never completed."
         "Yes, I know. The investigator from the Turks was shot in the head before he could step foot inside the reactor. And there has never been a full, formal investigation of that either. The folks in Corel took the fall for both incidents." Tseng took a deep breath, and as Reeve began to apologize, he interrupted, "We're getting off track here. Back to my original question: why join them?"
         "Cloud seems to know things about Sephiroth. He says he has a score to settle with him, and that Sephiroth is searching for the Promised Land."
         "Do you think that's what Sephiroth wants?"
         "We all do. Aeris as well. Honestly, to me it makes the most sense, as Sephiroth himself has led us to believe that's what he's after."
         Tseng shook his head, finally putting his pistol away. "This is just a hunch, but I suspect Sephiroth's motive is not as simple than that. You would think so too, if you knew him like I did—which was very little, but enough. Enough to see how calculating and careful he is."
         "He certainly wasn't careful five years ago, by the sounds of things."
         "No, but you'd be surprised as to what lengths fury can drive someone. All logical thought and self-control get thrown out the window. I've seen it happen."
         Reeve averted his gaze. "Yes, so have I. Now let's eat. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
         They ate their breakfast in silence, leaving Tseng to ponder Reeve's last statement. He'd heard stories about Reeve's fiery temper, but there was a shred of regret in the exec's tone that Tseng found odd. Was he talking about his marriage, or something else?

         The morning passed into afternoon as the sun slowly inched across the sky. Above them, large clouds floated, so thick and fluffy that they seemed to be composed of something more tangible than mere water vapor. Tseng sat leaning against the side of his chocobo, who was still munching on his gysahl greens. Reeve sat with his back to his own bird, idly gazing at the ocean stretched out before them.
         "So you own this chocobo?" Tseng asked.
         "Yes. He was given to me as a gift when he was just a chicobo, during the first anniversary celebration for the Gold Saucer. I've kept him ever since."
         "Maduin… an interesting name."
         "You can blame Reno for that, since he's the one who suggested it. He said it was the name of a summon beast for whom the materia has been lost for several decades."
         Tseng noted a slight change in Reeve's tone upon mentioning their friend's name. Curiosity overwhelmed him; he had to know. "Reeve, about Reno…"
         "Eh?"
         "Or more specifically, about you and Reno. You do know how he feels about you, right?"
         Reeve paused, staring at Tseng. "He told you?"
         "No. I merely guessed, and he verified it. Reno is in love with you, Reeve."
         Sullenly, the executive murmured, "I know. And I'll be damned if I knew what to do about it."
         "Do you mean that you don't know if you are able to accept his feelings, or you don't know if you will?"
         "It's not something I'm comfortable talking about."
         "We're the only ones here."
         "I know, but…"
         Tseng nodded. "I understand. You must feel at least slightly embarrassed by this topic, Reno being another man and all."
         Reeve shook his head. "No, not really."
         Tseng raised an eyebrow. "Well," he said, "then the only other thing I can think of is that incident at the Gold Saucer, over a year ago."
         Reeve froze.
         "Now before you start to panic, Reno didn't give me many details about his accident. However, I could tell that something in him had changed once he came back to Midgar. Reeve, what really happened there?"
         "I'm sorry, Tseng. I wish I could tell you, but Reno and I promised each other that the details of that trip would stay between us."
         "I see. May I ask you another question?"
         "Depends on what it is."
         "I might as well be direct, then. Were you the one responsible for Reno's injuries?"
         Reeve's eyebrows pinched together as he sighed heavily. Though his head was lowered, his eyes roved up to Tseng as he asked, "Is it that obvious?"
         "To some degree. Considering Reno's behavior after returning from that trip, and your own behavior now, it's as obvious to me as the fact that you will be supporting AVALANCHE from this point on, despite their past crimes in Midgar."
         Raising his head only slightly, Reeve narrowed his eyes at the Turk. "Are you going to try and stop me?"
         "No, because I get the impression that you are doing in your heart what you believe to be right. Besides, although I certainly can and by all means should stop you, I'm not going to even consider doing so unless I receive the appropriate orders." Tseng smirked, "I am a Turk, after all.
         "However, if I may give you a word of advice: don't do this. If something unfortunate should happen to me—and in these times, one never knows—then Reno will become the new leader of the Turks, and all confidential documents and information under my sway will be made available to him. This includes, of course, Cait Sith's serial numbers and access codes, which he can then use to learn the operator's identity, if you choose not to tell him yourself. I just want you to bear in mind that, should he find out about your transgressions, he might not be as forgiving as I would."
         "What do you mean?"
         "As you know, the punishment for high treason against the Company is death. If you are found out, then Reno must report you, and may even be ordered to kill you. I have a feeling that, knowing Reno as well as I do, he will carry out such orders to the fullest extent, making your death anything but swift and painless."
         "You aren't suggesting a repeat of Rocket Town, are you?"
         "The very same. Possibly worse."
         Reeve shook his head. "Reno would never do such a thing. I can't even see him killing me to begin with, because—"
         "He's in love with you?"
         Reeve paused, then answered, "Yes."
         Lowering his eyes, Tseng said, "I'm sorry Reeve, but it appears to me that there are things you don't know about Reno. What I am about to tell you—make sure you keep it to yourself. In another time and place, I would've said that Reno should've told you when he felt it appropriate to do so, but you may not get that chance."
         "So what is it that you want me to know?"
         "The Wutaiese spy Reno sank his claws into, on that morning when the ninja hordes streamed onto the western beaches, was not only a mechanic on the Shinra No. 22, he was Reno's lover." Quietly, Tseng added, "After the Battle of Leviathan, my father was the one who found Kanaye's body, in the upstairs part of the house Reno shared with Rocket Town's Chief Inspector and her assistant. The corpse was tangled in some bedsheets, most of its face gouged out, with its lips bitten to shreds and arms squeezed off just above the elbows. There were four claw marks running up the scalp, the skin scraped cleanly from the skull, and numerous other scratches on the chest and legs. I can't even describe what was done to the genitalia. The floor around the bed was awash with blood, as were the adjacent walls. The body would have been unidentifiable if it weren't for the account that the Chief Inspector gave. Even Sephiroth, who arrived on the scene toward the end of the battle, said that he never saw such carnage."
         Tseng looked up at Reeve, and noticed that he had gone pale and was trembling slightly. After a moment of silence, the executive asked, "What about Reno?"
         "I had been ordered to stay with him. He was naked and bore numerous scars all over his body. He was also delirious, hallucinating and babbling incoherently—when my father and I first came through the door, he mistook us for black chocobos." Tseng shook his head. "He had curled up into a fetal position and wouldn't let anyone come near him. It was a miracle that we were able to get him out of the house, much less to Mideel."
         "He was in the islands for one and a half years, so he's told me."
         Tseng nodded sadly. "That's right, but Bahamut-ZERO stabilized not long after his arrival. It was the trauma of his betrayal that was the primary cause of his mental breakdown, not the summonary mutation. By all accounts, he came out of the islands a changed man; cold, emotionless. I remember that his ponytail had been cut off, and him saying that he did it as a symbolic release from the burdens of his past. Some Cosmo Canyon tradition, I assumed. He refused to return to the Space Program, so my father encouraged him to become a Turk cadet."
         "He was cold to me when I first met him that morning in the Shinra Building, nearly four years ago. He hasn't really been like that since."
         "And for that, I have you to thank, Reeve. Though you may not realize it, your friendship has done so much for him."
         Reeve sighed and sank back against Maduin's large body, gazing up at the sky. Tseng stared at him, wondering if he did the right thing by telling Reeve the truth behind Reno's secret rage, his fury and sheer power, his monstrous and inhuman side.
         "I have more to tell you, if you're willing to listen."
         Reeve didn't reply, nor did anything to prevent Tseng from speaking. The Turk sighed. "Very well. I think you ought to know that Reno recently conducted an experiment in Cosmo Canyon with the assistance of his former mentors. Their goal was to remove all traces of Bahamut-ZERO from Reno's being."
         "Did they succeed?"
         "Reno doesn't know. They lacked the right sort of materia for the final phase of the experiment, so it was left incomplete."
         "Materia? What kind?"
         "Huge Materia, such as that which Scarlet had me running halfway around the world for. Not only that, but a specific kind of Huge Materia… which kind, he wasn't sure."
         "That sort of thing's not easy to get ahold of in the first place."
         "So I've heard. It's quite rare in nature, isn't it?"
         "Yes, and even if you artificially refine Huge Materia, it's a long process. It can take several years to make even a seed of a crystal. I wonder why he didn't tell me about this experiment of his."
         "Maybe he didn't want to worry you. He knows you're constantly busy. Besides, he didn't have much time in the Canyon to begin with. It was merely an attempt to see if it could be done at all."
         "Perhaps," Reeve pondered. "From the sounds of things, maybe separating himself from Bahamut-ZERO is an impossibility. For instance, how would he know when he's found the 'right' Huge Materia, if such a thing exists?"
         "I couldn't tell you. I'm not nearly as well-versed in materiology as he is."
         "You know, I worry about him sometimes, especially when I hear about things like this."
         "So, has what I told you in any way influenced your decision to stay in Cloud's party?"
         "I don't know."
         Damn. This wasn't the answer that Tseng had hoped for. He looked at Reeve, who was busy lighting himself a cigarette. "I don't know him as well as I should, I guess," Reeve murmured. "What you've said has given me a lot to think about."
         "Please do so."
         Reeve nodded, then stared at Tseng for a moment. "What is it?" asked the Turk.
         "There's something I want to ask you about. I once asked Rufus about the animosity between you and him. This was just after his father died, so naturally he wasn't in the mood to talk. As he's been traveling a lot lately, I haven't had the chance to ask him again."
         "Oh really," Tseng sneered, not at all pleased by this new twist in their conversation. "And now I suppose you want me to tell you just why I hate that fucking little worm."
         Reeve's eyes widened. "Well, err… 'hate' is a strong word, isn't it?"
         "Rufus did everything in his power to earn my hatred."
         "Just what did he do that was so terrible?"
         "He—" Tseng started, finding the words harder to say than he could've ever imagined. It was something he had kept buried so long, a Pandora's box that would create the biggest scandal in Company history if it ever got leaked, and still, he somehow gathered the strength to push the words past his lips, finding a great burden being lifted from his mind as he did so. "…he killed my father."
         Reeve's face displayed a hodgepodge of emotions, none of them good. "You can't be serious…"
         "I have the most damning piece of evidence in my possession, which Rufus has long since believed to be lost. Another Turk, my father's immediate successor, gave her life to bring it to me."
         "You mean Sasha Weiss? They said she disappeared."
         "For awhile that was true, but no, she's dead," Tseng said, closing his eyes and consciously trying to keep his breathing steady. "The mercenary Rufus had hired met his end at her hands, but she had been mortally wounded in the process."
         "I don't understand. Why would Rufus do this?"
         "Rufus and I were… involved… for awhile. It grew to be quite serious. But after awhile, he started to wear on me, so I ended our relationship as gently as I was able. Unfortunately, Rufus took it harder than I thought he would. I went on with my life, and was accepted into the Turks. Some months later, I was scheduled to be sent to Corel for the reactor investigation—it was to be my first major mission on my own as a Turk. But on the morning of the mission, I fell ill, and my father went in my place. You know how closely I resembled my father. Rufus must've thought…"
         Reeve shook his lowered head. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
         "I've been dealing with it the best I can—fulfilling the dreams my father held for me, assuming his name. My work is vitally important to me, but ever since Rufus became President, I've been having second thoughts," Tseng admitted. "Listen, do you know why I'm telling you all this?"
         "No," Reeve answered.
         "I believe that Rufus is interested in you. Very interested, judging by the way he regards you."
         "Really…"
         "You haven't noticed?"
         "I'm not too good at picking up on these sorts of things."
         "Well, I just thought you should know, so perhaps you can avoid a similar fate."
         They fell silent, and all that could be heard were the sounds of birds and the nearby ocean. Tseng watched the executive finish his cigarette, wondering what this man was planning to do with himself. Was he really going to become an ally of Cloud's, to risk his life and reputation for the beliefs of a ragtag team of rebels?
         "You know, Yoshiro," Reeve said, curiously calling Tseng by his original name, "I just realized something. You're a bigger traitor than I am. You've been protecting Aeris for over half your life, and now you're continuing this protection through me."
         "Yes. And that's another reason why I won't turn you in, nor will I kill you."
         "And what if you're ordered to do so?"
         "I'm sure we could work something out," Tseng replied with a grim smile. "But like I said, one never knows what could happen these days…"
         "Are you having second thoughts about this assignment?"
         Tseng sighed and shook his head. "More like ever since I committed myself to having Elena on the team. This whole business of having four active Turks makes me nervous. I'm normally not superstitious, but…"
         Reeve stood up and stretched. "You're afraid of what fate has in store."
         "No, I don't think that's it. I can't really explain… it's just a feeling I have. Are you heading out?"
         "Yes. If I leave now, I should get back to Midgar by late afternoon. After that I'm going to go home and get some sleep. I think I need it."
         Tseng nodded. "True. Especially if you plan on leading Cloud to the Temple of the Ancients."
         Reeve replied to this observation with a wry smile. "Tell you what, Tseng. Let's quit Shinra and go on the road together. We could join the touring company of Loveless in time for the summer theater season. That way, neither one of us has to worry about being branded 'traitors'."
         Tseng laughed at Reeve's eccentric suggestion. "I wish we could, but my life is so strongly bound to the Turks. Despite whatever contrary thoughts I've been having, my job is not something I can give up very easily."
         Reeve nodded. "I know what you mean. I feel the same way about Urban Dev., and Midgar." He gazed northward. "I should get going. Take care of yourself."
         "You do the same, and remember everything I've told you. Don't let these AVALANCHE people interfere with the Company's doings unless it's absolutely necessary."
         Reeve mounted Maduin. "It's like I said earlier, Yoshiro—I've got an ace up my sleeve. Or in this case, a joker."
         "What do you mean?"
         "Nothing," Reeve smirked. "Don't worry about it."
         Reeve snapped Maduin's reigns and galloped off, leaving Tseng to ponder over the executive's words. He doesn't plan on leaving Cloud's side, Tseng thought, and he just may have found a way to thwart my best-laid plans. Silently, he cursed at Reeve, but while doing so, he couldn't help but smile.