Ohhai c: It's me again, with another fresh update :DD I hope you enjoy reading (and reviewing, hint-hint ;3)! Oh, and I was listening to Evanescence whilst writing this, so I hope it doesn't turn out too angsty xD

Flashes. Memories. Painful feelings Elena only wanted to suppress. In her nightmares, she was sleeping, smiling, dreaming. And then she was enveloped in darkness so rich and profound that she could no longer feel her soul. Everything was so empty. She was falling. She was falling into the darkness.

"No!"

Something inside Elena had torn her nightmare in half. Her body was awake, yet her mind was lost and confused, unable to tell apart the light from the darkness. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, merging with the tears she had shed unwillingly out of terror. Everything she had experienced in the nightmare felt real, and all she wanted at that moment was comfort. But she was alone. Shaken, trembling and horribly alone. Even the sheets on her bed had abandoned her.

She willed her heavy breathing to calm, but her body was resisting her, as if ruled by another mind. At that moment, she wondered if she was about to fall into another nightmare-losing control was her greatest fear. To her relief, she had been spared.

Something's happened. Elena realised as she finally regained order in her mind. Although she knew the main reason for her nightmare was due to her mind trying to cope with the now sinking realisation that she had been raped, she could sense that something dreadful had ensued to someone she cared about.

She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes in an attempt to further calm herself, only to open them instantly. The last thing she wanted to see at that moment was darkness. She reached out to her left and flicked the switch on her bedside lamp, then recoiled in the sudden wave of light that flooded her bedroom. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be in the safety of light, which was enough comfort to satisfy her for the moment. Once her eyes had adjusted to the abrupt change in brightness, she glanced across to the clock on her wall. It was 4 am. And she definitely didn't have plans to fall back into the menacing grip of sleep.

Elena propped herself up on several pillows and observed a painting on the wall opposite her. A lush green valley protecting a long, ice-blue river was framed inside a box. Such perfect beauty could not be contained, she knew. Nor could it be obtained. Her experiences in ShinRa had taught her such things.

ShinRa.

Rude.

Elena's heart skipped a beat as she remembered that she wasn't alone. Rude was with her. Relief swamped her, accompanied by a huge grin that assured her safety. She quickly stepped out of bed and stepped into her prized chocobo slippers before heading downstairs to where she knew Rude was resting. That was, if he wasn't the one she was supposed to be worried about.

Thankfully, Rude was fine. Elena saw this once she entered the lounge-room, where Rude was silently watching a crime show. A soft smile tweaked at the corner of her lips.

"Rude?"

The bald Turk, still wearing his white shirt and dark blue pants, turned to face her. His brown eyes appeared tired. "Mmm?"

"Aren't you going to...Never mind." Elena's eyes didn't meet his own, instead preferring to watch the silent gunfight occurring on the television. "I...I got this feeling that something...I know this sounds stupid, but I think something bad has happened to one of the Turks."

Rude turned off the television and studied her eyes, wearing a concentrated frown. "'S'not stupid. Your gut's usually right."

"Oh?" Elena seemed mildly amused at the idea.

"Well," Rude looked away awkwardly, "Not yours in particular, but...How about you call Reno? I'll call Tseng."

Elena frowned. Worry began to crease her forehead. It would take a lot for something bad to happen to Reno, and she was afraid of the cause. "Right."

She was hesitant to take the phone from its home. What was on the other side of the line left her feeling anxious. But as a woman, as a Turk, and as a friend, she couldn't let her fears rule her mind.

With trembling fingers, she dialled Reno's number and waited. The ringing and the waiting became unbearable, and when she was told to leave a message, she had to resist the urge not to curse at the pre-recorded operator.

"There's no reply." She informed Rude, who had just got off the phone with Tseng.

Rude nodded as if anticipating the answer. "Tseng's fine. Let's go."

As expected, Elena and Rude received no reply from Reno's apartment. As much as Elena wanted to believe that Reno was merely asleep, she couldn't bring herself to believe it. Fear was building up inside her, making her feel weak. Before the attack, she felt strong, capable and content with herself. Now she was filled with doubts. Her fears were beginning to take over.

She was brought back down to reality when she heard the click of the front door opening. Rude entered first, holding his gun out in front of him. Elena followed suit.

"Clear." Rude stated as they split up inside the house. This made Elena feel even worse-as if they were about to investigate a crime scene.

His double-storey apartment was more than enough in size for one person, and was awkwardly empty. It was clear that Reno spent as little time in its living quarters as possible.

"Clear." Elena called back as she entered lounge-room. All it contained was a couch, widescreen television, bookshelf, and piano. She doubted Reno read any of the few books that were included in the bookshelf, and she knew for a fact that he didn't play piano-it had come with the house, he had told her. She, however, did, and played it as much as possible, for it was a beautiful one and in excellent condition. Reno never protested against this either-in fact, he seemed to enjoy the pretty tunes she came up with.

Elena noticed a piece of paper stuck on the front of his piano. Frowning, she walked over to it and tore it off.

"Rude, I've found something."

Moments later, Rude came over to her side, lowering his gun. He read the note.

They've taken Sierra. I'll be at Carl's.

"Short and sweet." Elena murmured, biting her lip anxiously. Although it was in Reno's nature to be quick about things, she could tell he was in a rush. And judging by the dark feelings she had experienced earlier, she knew they were too.

Hahah. Fail ending xDD And by 'they' in the last sentence, I was implying Gerard and all those dudes . Yeah w/e xD

Review pleease :DD I promise that there will be Relena soon :3