A/N: Reno and Elena muse go! Updates may be kind of slow, sorry, but hey—at least I'm still updating!

Previously...

"Rookie." He muttered before sleep claimed him. At least, Elena was beside him and alive. He wouldn't know what to do if he found her dead. He decided not to think about it. He'd enjoy this moment, the calm before the storm.

&3&3&3&3

Reno was jolted awake by the weight of Elena being moved from his side. "Where are you taking her?" He demanded, but the hired thug just gave a disgusting smile. Elena looked like a rag doll in his arms.

"Elena!" The blonde didn't stir. How much blood has she lost? And how exhausted and dehydrated her body must be. If they used Elena as bait to get me...is she...not needed anymore? "ELENA!"

The heavy metallic door slammed shut. Reno's wrists were a violent red from his struggles against the cuffs. It wasn't long before the door opened again and Vivian entered, a wicked smirk on her face. "Reno? What do you value more...legs or arms?"

A thug entered behind her with a crowbar, "How cliché!" Reno spat.

"You didn't answer my question..." Vivian twirled the crowbar in her hand, all too similar to how Reno twirled his EMR.

"I think it's my turn to ask questions, yo."

Vivian waved her finger at him, "Ah-ah-ah, that's not how this works, Red."

&3&3&3&3

Elena's eyes snapped open, she had been returned to the hospital-cell. There was a soft dripping (probably the sink), a muted buzzing nose (the light), someone clicking their tongue in annoyance (Samantha...).

"You're awake." She stated in a flat tone.

Elena turned her head to the side, expecting another bed, expecting Reno—seeing a wall.

"He's being...questioned." Samantha answered like she could read Elena's mind. Which is impossible, she's just reading my body language...and my expressions...wear a mask, Elena.

"He won't talk."

"We know."

Elena stared blankly at the wall listening to the repetitive drip of the sink.

Drip, drip, drip...

Drip, drip, drip...

Drip, drip, WHOO-OP!

Elena twitched at the abrupt sound and then the alarm was blaring through the building. Samantha was on her feet and out the door before Elena could ask questions, not that she would get any answers. Elena sat up in the bed, swinging her legs over the side and uneasily standing on her own.

Elena took a deep breath before disconnecting the blood drip from her arm. "Okay, I need..." She looked around the hospital-cell.

WHOO-OP!

"Alarms like that...must be the rescue team." Her brown eyes caught sight of a red box below the sink. Elena's legs felt like rubber as she walked, stumbling and catching herself, using the wall as support.

She slipped to the floor, sitting in front of the box. Her fingers shook as she opened the box and dressed the puncture where the IV once was.

WHOO-OP!

"Gotta find Reno...gotta...get out..." Elena gripped the sink and pulled herself up. She knew the rescue team would find them but... "You better be alive when I get there."

&3&3&3&3&

"Reno." The redhead looked up to see his bald partner at the door. His shoulder was throbbing in pain but in all honesty, it could have been a lot worse. Vivian liked to banter so Reno was able to distract her for an amount of time, just arguing and being clever.

"Hey, what took ya?"

"Heavy traffic." The two shared a small smirk. Rude used a lightning spell to break the cuffs. Reno rubbed his sore wrists once they were free, "Thanks, yo."

"Hm. Where's Elena?" Reno's stomach tightened at the mention of her name.

"They carried her off earlier...she was in bad shape. We gotta find her."

"Right." Rude stopped, reaching into his jacket, "You might want this." Rude passed Reno's EMR to him, Reno wasn't going to ask where he found it and frankly, he didn't care. He had his weapon back, he was out of captivity, and now there was a Rookie suffering from blood-loss in this building that needed to be found.

WHOO-zzzz

&3&3&3&3

Elena pulled open the door, I can't believe it's unlocked. The hallway was deserted and the alarm had stopped. We...we couldn't have been outnumbered or...why has it stopped? She gingerly stepped over empty bullet casings and her eyes scanned around the floor for any important documents. Most of it was trash. Burned papers, empty cans, empty bottles, snack wrappers and that vibrant red paint splattered about.

Elena couldn't stand for long, her vision would become blurry and her legs still weren't working properly. Damn. When her vision did get fuzzy, Elena just pressed her shoulder against the wall and kept walking.

Turks survive. It's what we do. We survive!

"LANEY!" Her vision was still blurry but she could recognize that red hair in the dark...wait...what? That didn't...

Her forehead pressed against something soft and two hands were spanning across her back. Something was tapping against the back of her leg, it was swinging gently back and forth, oh...Reno's EMR was strapped to his wrist...right, that made sense.

Elena sucked in a ragged breath, "Keep moving." Her eyelids were being tugged by an invisible weight. There was no time for sleep. Wake up...stay conscious...keep moving. Turks survive!

Rude didn't say anything, only observed. He saw the look on Reno's face. He understood the emotions. He saw the way Reno collected the blonde into his arms like it was second-nature. Comforting her and keeping her upright, if all for the chance to touch her. Rude would never say anything about it...not now, not until Reno said something first.

"You're not-" Elena's voice increased upon the realization, "Carrying me! Put me down! I can walk."

"Sure you can, that's why I found you leaning against the wall struggling for breath." Reno answered smugly as he carried Elena to the extraction point.

"Reno!" Her tone was whiny so his response of "Elena!" in an equally whiny tone was expected.

But, it was still annoying.

Her eyes slipped close, "Just...don't use me as a meat shield." She muttered.

&3&3&3&3

The helicopter buzzing is the most comforting sound Elena has ever heard. She's sitting next to Reno and her cheek is leaning against his bony shoulder—well, it's not bony, it's just...Reno is so skinny. His shoulder isn't exactly comfortable, to think...just a few hours ago, his shoulder was like a security blanket in that...that...Elena's thoughts drifted away as she felt a gloved hand take her own.

"Elena, I'm so happy you're alright." Seth's voice.

"She's a Turk." Reno replied with an icy tone, "Turks don't go down so easily."

Elena opened her mouth to scold Reno for being so harsh but he's right. Turks were stubborn when it came to death and this wasn't the first time she was tortured. A vivid flashback of her time in the Northern Crater made her shoulders stiffen.

"Still..." Seth doesn't let go of her hand, "You're only human."

She heard Reno snort and then her mind slipped back into unconsciousness.

&3&3&3&3

Elena blinked a few times, the fuzzy room coming into focus very slowly, and she realized that she was in one of the many medical rooms of ShinRa. "Elena."

"Oh..." Not the person she really wanted to see, "Hey Seth."

Even though she had gotten close to Seth, enjoyed laughing with him, found his open-concern for her safety heartwarming and refreshing—he was a mission. Being so human was making it difficult.

"Get some rest, 'Laney..."

"Don't."

"Huh?" She met his gray eyes, swallowing down what she wanted to say, wanted to tell him only Reno called her that. Only Reno could.

"It's nothing...forget it, I'm so tired."

"Sleep." Seth said fluffing her pillow, "Doctors say the medication might make you tired anyways."

"Yeah..." A pause. "Thanks."

He grinned an award-winning grin, "No problem."

&3&3&3&3&

The one thing about being in the medical wing is that there is no track of time. Elena woke up a few times due to nurses and a few times, she spoke with Seth, but most of the time—she slept.

Her dreams were cloudy and she couldn't recall them when she woke up.

A few hours later? (She guessed) Seth was asleep on the chair beside her bed and Elena really need a breath of fresh air.

She ran into Rude in the hallway, "Hey, where's...?" Elena didn't need to finish the rest of her question. Rude gave a small nod towards the staircase leading to the rooftop and Elena smiled a little. Of course he would go to the roof. Probably smoking. He always did like a few drags of a cigarette after a mission.

As she took the stairs, she wondered how he was, how injured, wondered if they found anymore information and wondered what he'd say. Would he tease her? Shut her out? During their short captivity, he was Reno, the same Reno...while she tried so hard not to show any emotion to her enemies.

&3&3&3&3&

It's raining when she reached the roof and he's leaning against some cooling device bolted into the ground. Elena relished the feeling of the cool rain against her skin, it felt marvelous and pure, even if she did hate it. Elena wrapped the thin robe around her form as she walked towards him. The robe was a dark blue and her hospital gown was white—but, the gown was covered by her robe.

Elena let out a loud sigh, "I hate the rain."

"Small talk, how unlike you." Reno grinned a bit, the cigarette dangling from his lower lip. He tossed the smoke to the ground. "I don't mind it." He shrugged. Silence enveloped them, the two Turks looking over the misty buildings of Midgar.

"So...why do ya hate it?" asked Reno, "Too depressing for ya?" He guessed. Elena shook her head, the blonde strands now damp.

"It blurs everything...distorts it...everything just blends in." Elena felt the color rise to her cheeks at telling him this. It wasn't a big secret, her dislike for the rain, but the reason behind it was. It sounded so stupid. No matter how talkative she was, Elena did like to keep some things to herself.

"Ya ever...do something awesome in the rain?"

Elena lightly punched his arm, "Pervert."

"Hey!" Reno rubbed his arm where she punched and he glowered at her. "I wasn't talking about that kind of awesome." He smirked suddenly, "Unless you wanna...?"

"NO!" Elena turned away from him, embarrassed.

"Have you ever danced in the rain?" His question caught her off guard.

"Wha..." Elena turned back to Reno, eyes wide, "Never thought you were into that mushy-stuff."

Reno rolled his eyes giving a dramatic sigh. "Oh shut up."

Elena thought the conversation would be dropped there. She thought that this was just one of Reno's little games and it would end once he got bored. Then, he held his hand out to her and Elena stared at it dumbly.

"But you're injured..." She tried to object, eyes moving the sling on his opposite arm. How could they dance anyways? Elena thought to the dulled pain of her leg. The dull pain everywhere on her body. His aquamarine eyes are surprisingly honest.

"Not as bad as you." There is guilt laced within his tone.

Elena took his hand and he moved it up to his shoulder and his good-arm went around her waist. As Elena expected, it wasn't much of a dance—just a sway back and forth. It feels wonderful. It feels childish. Elena giggled into his jacket and she felt his own chuckle reverberate through his chest.

"So unprofessional..." Elena said quietly when they stopped moving. Reno looked down at her, if you really really wanted to...you could kiss her. Heh. She'd slap you, she hit you the first time...but oh her flustered face would be so worth it. It'd be a good way to chase away some of the tension between us.

Elena swallowed, feeling nervous all of a sudden. Her heart picked up in speed. Medication...I'm on pain medication, that's why I'm...I'm...

His breath ghosted over her lips.

"Ah-hem." The moment is broken, shattered, and unrepairable.

"Perfect fucking timing, Rude." Reno moved away from Elena, reaching into his jacket to get another smoke.

"Elena. You must get back to bed..." Rude said in a tone that was even and cool. As always.

"Right...yeah...right..." Elena mumbled, casting a look over her shoulder as she walked away. Reno was leaning against that same green-colored cooling device-thing and he was re-lighting a cigarette. That's when Elena realized something. The rain doesn't blur Reno, doesn't make him fade into the background...must be the hair.

A/N: oh yeah, totally fluffy and cliche—I know! But, I wanted to do something a little fluffy as a bumper since the last chapter was more action.