Broken Pieces
These stories take place at various times throughout the Final Fantasy VII Compilation, although a majority of them are post-Advent Children. The stories are titled according to which character's perspective the story is told from. They are unconnected (for example, "Tifa II" isn't necessarily related to "Tifa I" and may feature a different pairing focus).
Title: Elena I: Romance
Characters/Pairings: Elena, Reno, Rude, and Tseng
Author's Notes: I will update this collection frequently, so don't give up on it. And let me know if you have any suggestions or requests for pairings.
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the Final Fantasy franchise. If I did I'd actually have money, I probably wouldn't spend my time writing fanfiction, and various Final Fantasy characters would/wouldn't be dead.
ELENA I: Romance
Elena glared around at her surroundings and hugged her arms to her chest. She couldn't understand why so many novels insisted that forests were romantic areas full of moonlit meetings and other sentimental crap. There was nothing even remotely romantic about this forest. She was freezing. The relentless wind was causing the treetops to creak ominously. And the small rays of moonlight shining onto the path were definitely not romantic. It just made it more difficult to see. Oh, and did she mention that it was cold out? As in below freezing without the beauty of freshly fallen snow or ice-covered tree limbs. It was just bare, frozen ground and harsh wind.
Some people might have considered the fact that she was travelling with three very attractive men to be a perk. Well, Elena had considered it and came to the conclusion that she was travelling with a smartass pervert, an asexual workaholic, and a slightly intimidating teddy bear otherwise known respectively as Reno, Tseng, and Rude. Tearing her eyes away from the depressing landscape, Elena studied the backs of the three men trudging along ahead of her. Reno had his hands shoved in his pockets. His uniform was in disarray as usual and his unbuttoned suit jacket was the only thing protecting him from the cold. Tseng, on the other hand, was heavily bundled up. He had a navy blue scarf wrapped around his neck and matching knit gloves. And since his suit was just shy of being a second skin, she could easily tell that he was wearing long underwear bottoms underneath. Not that she was looking there because she definitely wasn't! The only addition to Rude's uniform was a leather jacket with an upturned collar. Elena shivered at the sight of his bald head. Wasn't he cold?
"Rude, do you want to borrow my hat?" she called out.
Rude glanced briefly over his shoulder at her and gave her a silencing look that clearly said, "Are you mocking me?" He then returned his attention to the path.
Elena dropped her eyes and pulled her purple woolen hat over her ears and proceeded to adjust her striped scarf which had somehow gotten caught on the top button of her coat. She shifted her backpack and retrieved her mittens from the side pocket. A quick glance at her bare hands revealed the start of what would likely turn into a weeklong battle against dry, cracked skin. She winced at the thought and pulled on her mittens.
"Boss, are you waiting to see which one of us turns into a Popsicle first or what? It's five below and it's dark. If there are any Ravens out here, they ain't going anywhere. Let's make camp," Reno spoke up suddenly.
Elena felt anticipation bubble up inside her at the thought of burrowing into her warm sleeping bag next to a roaring campfire. She found herself holding her breath as she waited for Tseng's answer.
Tseng sighed heavily as if disappointed by his fellow Turk's lack of resolve and said: "Fine. We'll camp here for the night. Reno and Rude, you can get a campfire started. Elena, make sure the area is secure. I'll contact headquarters."
"Roger that," Reno drawled with a mocking salute before wandering off with Rude in search of firewood.
Elena dropped her backpack next to Tseng and proceeded to inspect the surrounding area. For what, she wasn't exactly sure. It wasn't like the group of rogue Ravens they were after would be camping out here. And no one else in their right mind would be in the middle of a forest at night while it was below freezing. She ventured further into the forest and carefully scanned the bushes hidden by shadows and the dim tree limbs overhead. Not even a Chocobo was stupid enough to be out tonight. Only a bunch of Turkeys, she smirked recalling the thief Kisaragi's nickname for them.
She glanced back at the clearing where Tseng was still on the radio and then let her eyes rove her dense surroundings. The forest was slightly eerie with the moon filtering through the darkened tree limbs. The ground was slightly warmer than the brittle night air causing a light mist to curl around her ankles. She gave an involuntary shiver before continuing to venture further away from the campsite.
She had just decided to turn back when a nearby rustling sound stopped her dead. Elena felt her pulse quicken and cursed under her breath when she realized her handgun was in her backpack, which she had left at the campsite. Trying to ignore the goose bumps rising on the back of her neck, Elena stood with her feet spread slightly apart and shifted her weight to her left the way her sister Rosalind had advised her so many years ago. She tried not to think about how effective her martial arts would be while her body was hindered by bulky winter clothes. Raising her fists to protect her face, she readied herself for her attacker.
"Show yourself!" Elena said harshly, silently thankful that her voice didn't shake with the unease slowly consuming her.
The bush rustled again, and Elena inhaled slowly as she tensed her muscles. Suddenly she sensed something approaching her from behind. She whirled around at once and swung her leg in an arc to catch her attacker's head. A hand grabbed her ankle and used the leverage to pull her closer and, as a result, throw her off balance. She was about to use her free leg to sweep them both to the ground where she could hopefully gain the upper hand when she caught sight of her attacker.
"Reno! Goddamn it! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" she exclaimed angrily.
Reno smirked at her and released her ankle. He shook his head and jerked his thumb in the direction of the campsite. "Tseng wondered where you got to. He told me to check up on you."
"Like hell he did," Elena snarled, still upset that she, a Turk, had let herself be caught by surprise.
"Would I lie to you?" Reno asked.
Elena didn't even answer him. Grumbling darkly under her breath, she pushed past him and made her way back to camp. Reno followed after her, chuckling at her expense. Tseng looked up as the two of them entered the camp. His eyes fell on Reno.
"I thought you were helping Rude with the firewood?" he asked before returning his attention to the faulty radio.
Reno shrugged. "Decided to check up on Elena. Never hurt to doublecheck the perimeter, especially with Ravens on the loose." Elena glared daggers at him. He promptly ignored her and ducked away to roll out his sleeping bag. Rude returned shortly after with an armful of twigs and small logs. Not sure what else to do, Elena joined Reno and started to roll out her own sleeping bag. She unzipped the side so she could crash the moment Tseng indicated that they were allowed to turn in and realized there was a huge rip in it from top to bottom. She cursed vividly. Reno dropped the cure potion he had been about to move to his backpack and let out an oath of his own as it smashed on the ground.
"Jeez, 'Lena. What the hell?" he demanded.
Startled, Elena looked up and realized that all three of the guys were staring at her curiously. She indicated her sleeping bag and explained somewhat lamely, "My sleeping bag. It, uh, ripped and… Well, it just sucks since it's so cold out tonight."
All three of her fellow Turks continued to watch her. Regretting her outburst, she sat back on her heels and pretended to continue setting up her area in the campsite. She was aware of Reno watching her and looked up irritably, "What, Reno?"
"Never heard you curse before," he said with a smirk.
Rolling her eyes, Elena dug a granola bar from her bag and chomped down on it unceremoniously. She was nearly finished eating her minuscule supper when Tseng stood up abruptly and went over to his own spot in the campsite. "I got through to headquarters and reported our situation. We're going to camp out here for the night. The president is sending out some SOLDIERS to deal with the Ravens," he said. "We need to track down certain AVALANCHE members tomorrow. Apparently they've been spotted at Icicle Inn. It's about five miles from here and the president needs us to apprehend them as soon as possible."
"In other words, we're heading out at dawn and you want us to get some shuteye. Right, boss?" Reno said.
Tseng ignored Reno's sarcastic inquiry and unzipped his own sleeping bag which he had already laid out. Elena didn't need telling twice. Although still miffed that her sleeping bag was drafty, she immediately settled into it and tried to fall asleep. Despite the bone-chilling wind, it wasn't long before Elena was drifting off.
Snarrrkuh. SnAArrKUH.
Elena's eyes snapped open. Something was making some ungodly sound near her. And she knew exactly what it was. Snnnn…arrrkuh. She grimaced to herself as Reno snored loudly next to her ear yet again. She rolled onto her side and tried to ignore him. Another rumbling snore erupted from his lips. Turning toward him, Elena jabbed him sharply in the ribs. He immediately sat up and glanced around dazedly, his eyes still unfocused. "Huh? Wha—?" he murmured blearily.
"Reno, shut up! You were snoring," she hissed.
"S'lright. Sorry, 'Lena," he slurred, sinking back into his sleeping bag and immediately falling asleep again.
Elena relished the silence and was just about to close her eyes when Reno emitted a noise that was something between a snort and snore. It was a hopeless situation. Elena shimmied out of her sleeping bag and went over to the campfire. Settling down on the cold ground, she hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on her bent knees. Holding her hands out in front of the low flames, she vowed to make Reno's life a living hell if she caught pneumonia because of his incessant snoring.
She had just started to nod off when she felt someone else sit down next to her. Without lifting her head off her knees, she turned her head to the side and found Rude sitting there. He looked over at her when he felt her gaze on him and nodded shortly before turning to the pile of firewood that had been collected earlier. He picked up a log from the pile and added it to the campfire. Sparks shot up from the smoldering ashes at the bottom of the campfire, and Elena watched them with a frown.
"Is something wrong?" Rude asked.
Releasing her hold on her knees, she stretched her legs out in front of her and shrugged her shoulders. She yawned widely and answered: "I couldn't sleep. Reno was snoring like a banshee."
Rude chuckled softly. "Yeah? At least he's not sleepwalking."
Elena grimaced and waved her hand dismissively. She didn't even want to think of the last time she'd been on a mission with Reno and Rude. They had stayed overnight in a hotel that had one room available. Sharing a room usually wasn't a problem. Unfortunately, the room had only one bed, which Elena had immediately claimed. Rude had been fine with taking the floor, but Reno had complained about the sleeping arrangements long into the night and had only grudgingly taken residence on the floor after Elena had threatened him at gunpoint. She had woken up in bed the next morning to find Reno snuggled against her. He had claimed he was sleepwalking and had no idea how he had gotten into the bed.
Rude looked over the top of his sunglasses and said seriously, "Something else is bothering you."
Realizing she had been biting her bottom lip in a nervous habit she had never quite grown out of, Elena sat up straight and gazed into the campfire. "It's just…" she trailed off and sighed.
"Elena," Rude said quietly, in a way that tacked an unspoken request for her continue onto the end of that one word.
"I knew what I was signing up for when I applied to be a Turk. I knew I was dedicating my life to my work and to Shinra. It never bothered me because it never fazed me that I could do anything else. Even at the academy I put my all into my training. I didn't need anything else. But lately I've been wondering what it's like to have a normal life, you know? Because here I am, twenty-three years old and I run around assassinating people and seeing things that would sicken normal women," she paused to take a breath, surprised that she was really telling Rude this. Of course, what she was saying had bothered her for years, but she had never meant to let anyone know. Rude had a way of doing that to people though. He was quiet but in a comfortable sort of way. A way that apparently caused people to become hopelessly loose-lipped.
Elena continued, "This is stupid, but I want romance." Rude raised an eyebrow at this remark, and Elena laughed before adding: "Not love or relationships or anything like that. I want to look at things differently. Start looking for the silver lining and all that. I don't want to be just be some hardened assassin who can eat a three-course meal after shooting someone or disable a bomb without breaking a sweat. And I just can't let go of that mindset. Even today I was trying to find something poetic and romantic about this forest, but all I could think about was how damn cold I was. And when I found out my sleeping bag had a rip in it, I was waiting for one of you to offer me your sleeping bag. But you didn't. Not that I mind. I just hoped one of you would prove me wrong, that a Turk could have a romantic side. See? I told you it was stupid."
Rude seemed to consider this for a moment. Elena was thankful that he didn't laugh the way Reno would have if he had heard her or reprimand her for being weak the way Tseng would have. Suddenly Rude stood up and extended his hand toward her. Elena looked at his hand in confusion and then glanced at him. "What are you doing?"
"Proving you wrong," Rude answered simply, taking her hand and helping her to her feet.
She found herself pulled against his chest. His hands settled on her waist and he began to slowly sway back and forth. She was even more surprised when he began to hum quietly against her ear as he continued to lead her in an awkward, shuffling slow dance. She considered pulling away from him but decided against it at the last moment. After all, she had technically asked for this, and he was a good dancer, even if she wasn't. She rested her head against his shoulder and realized contently that his body was very warm. Turning her head slightly to watch the slowly spinning forest around them, she was forced to reconsider her previous verdict. The forest wasn't that bad. The moonlight and the flickering glow of the campfire illuminated the nearby trees, creating a scene that was worthy of being captured in a painting or poem.
After a while she realized she wasn't shivering any more. In fact, she wasn't cold at all. She smiled into Rude's shoulder and was rewarded by being pulled tighter against him. She relished the moment, knowing that times where the personal barriers between coworkers were breeched were few and far between. She was jarred out of her daydreams when Rude suddenly stopped moving. Feeling a bit dizzy and giddy, Elena didn't find any reason to pull herself away from Rude. She was grateful that he tolerated her sentimentality for a few minutes before slowly letting go of her waist and reconstructing the barriers between them once again. He cleared his throat once and pushed his sunglasses back up the bridge of his nose. She had to laugh at that. Even in the dead of night he wore those damn things.
"Well…thank you. That was nice," Elena said awkwardly, not exactly sure how to recover her Turk façade after slipping hopelessly into a romantic frame of mind.
The side of Rude's lips twitched in what might have been a barely concealed smile. Then he turned away and started back toward his sleeping bag. She had thought that signified the end of whatever had happened between them, buried it. However, then he was back, carrying his sleeping bag. He knelt and rolled it out on the ground next to the campfire. He gestured to it and said simply, "Get some sleep," before retreating and laying down on her ripped sleeping bag near the still-snoring Reno. Slipping into his sleeping bag, she smiled at the warmth and buried her nose into the fabric. Watching the flickering flames and sparks that jumped in the campfire, she fell into an untroubled sleep, holding on to that sense of romanticism she hoped never abandoned her again.