Author's Notes: Howdy all, it's Angi. I recently was browsing through ffNET and came across the reviews for "A Walk in the Woods". All good reviews, wishing for me to put up part two.. and ya know what? It'll be a year come March, and I didn't even grace you all with part 2 yet. How awful is that?! So, I made a compromise. The story is FAR from finished (however, if not for the fact that my computer crashed 3 times this summer, it would be.. ), but has enough to it that I decided to split it into not 2 halves, but three thirds. So.. part two. Who knows when part 3 will make its appearance. But hey.. at least you get some continuity, right? Happy reading. Please review!
Over the months that Elena had worked with Reno, he had done some unbelievable things. He had won 50 gil by doing a heel stretch (although it left him crippled for a month) to show her that he was flexible (he wasn't). He had won 100 gil by hanging out of the 70th floor window in nothing but a pair of flippers. He had done several other things that hadn't gotten him any money, but still were unbelievable. But today was different. Today, he had kissed her.
She felt a chill creep down her spine at the very thought. I mean…he kissed her! They weren't even dating. It was so like him to do such a despicable thing. And what was worse was that she was stuck in a tent with him, had to sleep next to him, had to listen to him snore. She actually didn't think that he snored, but she was so furious at him that he would have to deal with it.
Still, what she said was mean.
She hastily unzipped the front flap of the tent and stormed in, not meeting Reno's aquamarine eyes. Grabbing her fluffy pink pillow, she plopped down on her sleeping bag, flashing Reno a murderous glance. He shrugged, and she looked away innocently.
The silence that followed was suffocating. If one of them could say anything…anything, then the other could breathe again. But neither said a word, and both found themselves feeling lightheaded.
"Listen, I-" They started in unison.
More silence.
"You see, I just-" Again in unison; again more silence.
"When it-"
"It's just that-"
"Urrrrgghhh!" Elena growled, wringing her hands. "Reno, I'm sorry about what I said. I take it back. It was mean. I'm just a little…shocked, that's all. Yeah."
Reno made a little sound of understanding, a grin spreading across his face.
"'S'okay, 'Lenna. But, holy shit, you should have seen the look on your face!" Elena bared her teeth as she flung her pillow at Reno's head. His quick reflexes held true and he caught it in his hands, smiling as he gently tossed it back.
"…No, really, it's okay…sorry if I like, over-reacted or whatever out there. I just felt like we had sorta bonded somehow, and thought you wouldn't mind…sorry." Reno reddened a bit and turned his head away awkwardly. Elena's eyes softened and she nodded.
"I'm still mad at you though, so don't think you can get off that easily."
"Perfectly understandable. Never can get off easily with you around."
"Ugh! You're sick!" she said, trying to hide the smile that was inching its way across her face. It hit her that he was trying to charm her and she straightened up.
"Seriously though, I am still mad. And I don't like you."
Words hurt, Elena, Reno scoffed. Try and hold your tongue for once. He flicked a speck of dirt off of his sleeve.
"You hungry? Rude's probably gettin' lonely out there."
Elena's stomach growled and she blushed. "Yeah, some of them hot dogs sound real good."
Reno nodded and smiled as he unzipped the tent and crawled out. Elena followed close behind, slightly flustered by the glamorous view of Reno's backside.
Rude raised his sunglassed eyes and smiled inwardly. Seems they worked things out.
"There's some hotdogs left on the other side of the fire. Here's some skewers," he handed each a metal stick, being careful not to mention anything about the little spat that had just occurred. Elena gingerly poked at a hotdog and set the tip into the fire, turning it to make sure all surfaces were cooked. Reno, on the other hand, stabbed at three dogs and shoved them into the center of the fire, not removing them until the bottoms were blackened. He popped one into his mouth.
"Mmm…that's good eatin'," he remarked, his mouth full with burnt meat. Elena turned away from the disgusting sight and toward Rude.
"So…what's the plan for tomorrow?" Rude held up his index finger to signal that he was not through chewing. Reno scarfed down the last hot dog and headed to the tent.
Rude swallowed and spoke. "I'm thinking of maybe going hiking…I heard that there's a beautiful lake a little higher up the mountain. If the weather's good maybe we could swim."
"That would be fun, but considering how the weather's been, I don't think swimming will be an option…" As if on cue raindrops began to fall, and Reno emerged from the tent, holding his jacket close to his body.
"Good idea," Rude mouthed, and he too headed toward the tent to retrieve his coat.
Once Reno was sure that Rude was in the tent, he snuggled up closer to Elena and rested his head on her shoulder. She tensed.
"Still mad at you, remember?"
"Oh…right, right," Reno raised his head as gently as he had set it down. "Want me to get your jacket? Don't want you to catch pneumonia or somethin'."
"It's okay, I can get it myself," she walked toward the patched-up tent. "Uh, Reno, this tent doesn't leak, does it?" the multi-colored duct tape that adorned the holes suddenly looked incredibly fragile, and the rain was becoming a downpour by the minute. The two watched as the fire struggled to stay alive, the flames reaching up toward the sky in a desperate grasp before they shrunk into the embers. They exchanged glances and both ran to the tent, Elena shivering in only her see-through khaki shirt and slacks.
"Ugh…I'm soaked," Elena said as she rummaged through her bag for her pajamas.
"You think you have it bad," Reno remarked as he tried his hardest not to stare at Elena's chest, "My pajamas are covered in sunscreen."
He did have a point. By now, the rain was falling much too hard to go out and ask Rude for a change of clothes. And considering how cold it was outside, and how thin the tent was, and that Elena was with him, sleeping in the buff was not an option.
Elena had her own set of worries…what about changing? She most certainly did not want to have Reno watching her like a chocobo in the headlights as she peeled off the soaked shirt and pants…and undergarments…she swallowed down a lump that was quickly forming in her throat. She nervously wadded her pajamas in her hands as she looked desperately at Reno.
"Yeah, I know…" he said, reading her mind. "What do you wanna do? I don't wanna sleep naked and you prob'ly don't wanna change in front of me…"
"Well…" she pondered, resting her head in her hands, "Maybe I could wear the shirt of the pajamas and you could wear the bottoms…the shirt is long enough to cover what I want covered on me, and the pants'll cover what I want covered on you."
"Agreed."
And so Elena handed Reno the purple plaid flannel pants, hesitating to remove her own shirt in front of him. Deciding it was that or remain cold and wet, she quickly peeled off the garment and the bra underneath it, sliding the fuzzy shirt over her head. She quickly realized that being dry was often taken for granted. She removed the khaki pants and changed her undergarments and was finished. She giggled as she glanced at Reno, who had taken her pillow and put it over his head.
"You done gettin' naked?"
She sighed. "Yes. How cute, we match." Reno removed the pillow and smirked as he casually looked at his watch.
"Jeez, it's late. Shall we retire for the night?"
"Sure," Elena said, sounding grateful. She snuggled into her sleeping bag and snatched the pillow away from Reno. "Good night."
"Night," he said, resting his head on his arm. "See ya in the mornin'." There was no response. "'Lenna?" Silence. Reno changed position to rest on his elbow. "Aw, the poor gal's out. Nighty-night, my darling."
Elena shifted in her sleep. "Still…mad at you…remember?" she mumbled.
Reno's elbow gave way and he landed hard on his head.
It was late.
Late actually could be an understatement, considering how dark it was and, moreover, how quiet.
Quiet except for the steady tap, tap, tap of the rain, the rhythm gnawing at one's mind, driving them to the brink of insanity. The rain fell, and hit. Fell, and hit. Fell, and hit. Multiplied by infinity and it was no wonder that Reno's eyes were locked open, his body rigid, his teeth clenched.
Tap, tap, tap.
Sleepless. Not a wink in four hours.
Tap, tap, tap.
The more he ignored the rain, the more other things would irritate. Elena's even breathing.
In, out.
Tap, tap, tap.
The wind rustling a tree branch.
Rustle, rustle.
In, out.
Tap, tap, tap.
Rude mumbling in his sleep.
Stop petting my chest hair.
Rustle, rustle.
In, out.
Tap, tap, tap.
Reno couldn't take it any longer. He needed to bore himself out of his mind. Something never-ending, but most certainly without a rhythm. A dull book, perhaps. Yes, Elena certainly would have some dull, ancient novel in her backpack, something to make his eyes droop and his body go limp. He undid a buckle and peered inside, ignoring the cold on his bare chest. Darkness. He felt around for the clunky flashlight. Successful, he pushed the button, sending a beacon of light into the huge sack. Reno chuckled softly. It was practically a shop in there; items upon items upon items filled every space available.
An electric thermometer. Of course not. Why would he take his temperature at 3:30 in the morning? Only the truly desperate would do that.
He popped the cool metal end into his mouth and pushed the button to activate the timer.
Every four seconds: beep, beep, beep. A shrill, high-pitched whine that could be heard for miles. Elena tossed and turned in her sleeping bag. Reno fumbled in the dark for the button to turn the blasted thing off. He pushed it and the screaming stopped.
"Phew…" he sighed, dropping the offender back into the bag. He grabbed the flashlight again and continued to scavenge for something boring to lull him into slumber.
A toothbrush. A bruised banana. A plastic bag with "makes um bigger" scrawled in 4th grade handwriting.
Did she ever bother to clean this bag out? Reno wondered inanely.
Clothes and more clothes. One striped one-piece bathing suit with a label that said (in Elena's current handwriting) "Wear around Rude/Reno". Another swimsuit, this one a skimpy black bikini, whose label read, "Wear around Tseng". Reno shook his head. Pretty pathetic, that crush.
"What's this?" he mumbled, coming upon a weathered scrap of paper, folded meticulously into the shape of a heart. Probably another something from fourth grade. He carefully unfolded the paper. It was a letter. What's more, it was addressed to Tseng. Now this was interesting. He began to read.
"Dear Tseng,
First off, I would like to apologize. For everything. For screwing up, for not shutting up, for being a nuisance. I know your patience is wearing thinner by the minutes with every word I speak. But please, if you will find it in your heart to continue reading this letter, the volumes spoken by my mirth will be enough to mend your tainted patience.
From the moment I first lay eyes on you, I have been in love. Maybe 'opposites attract' holds true. For you are nothing like me, and that is why I love you. You never slip up, you always are levelheaded, and you think things through. How I long for someone with these qualities to guide me through my life, helping me in my quest to become a better person.
So Tseng, before you embark to the Temple, I want to thank you…thank you for helping me, guiding me, reprimanding me even. Thank you for the long nights of training, your time wasted on a hopeless case that could never do anything right. Thank you for smiling. For laughing. For being. Mostly, thank you for inviting me to dinner. I shall be sure to arrive promptly for once. The French restaurant on the upper plate, correct?
Also, Tseng…if for some unknown reason I am not able to show for dinner…I wanted to tell you one thing…I love you with all my heart. Tseng…will you be mine?
With everlasting love,
Elena"
Reno let out a winded sigh as he stared in disbelief at the paper before him. So he had been wrong all along. This definitely wasn't a silly schoolgirl crush. This was a true infatuation; Elena was madly in love with Tseng. And the true love of her life was now dead…
Reno blinked, and found it hard to open his eyes again. Ah, so something in Elena's bag had helped him doze off.
But it surely was not boring.
He shoved the letter back into the bag and snuggled deep within the downy folds of his sleeping bag, turning so he was facing Elena's sleeping form. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep; her thick blonde hair framing her face as her sweet breath escaped her full lips. He thought of kissing her again right then and there, but decided against it. What if he ended up suffocating her in her sleep? He rested his red mane on his lanky arm and soon was consumed by slumber.
She awoke.
It was early, she could tell. The birds were still asleep, their melodious song resting in their throats until the sun had graced them with all its luminescent glory. Reno was still asleep and probably would be for the next six hours. He never was an early riser; he would always arrive late to work, groggy and disoriented, a half-eaten donut attached to his lips. He looked like a baby, curled up in the sheets, innocence written all over him. You never could have guessed that he was an assassin, kidnapper, and many other non-innocent things.
Elena rose out up off of the floor, yawning and running her fingers through her short hair. The smell of rain hung thick over her head, a cold, metallic, dirt smell that made her want to forget everything and curl back into her warm bed. She did just that, plopping down into the thick warmth of her pillow, sighing in ecstasy.
"Vacation," she let the word roll pleasantly off her tongue. It felt light and sunny, like a slice of the daystar being spoon-fed to her off of a silver platter. She sunk even further into her sleeping bag. Why get up now, when she can get up later?
The warmth enveloped her and she felt herself relax and slowly start to give in to sleep. The rain had seemed to have stopped; the gentle, feather-light pattering had ceased, and now only silence occupied the woods. The tent was warm, nature was well, and all was as it should be.
Well, except for the sleeping, shirtless Reno lying just inches from her flannel-clad body, wearing her pants no less. That irked her some, but not much. The day was starting off too beautifully to be irk-able.
Elena chuckled softly. Irk-able.
The rain smell was beginning to fade as the sun peeked out from behind the mountains, burning it away to nothingness. Outside the tent, the morning sun cast long shadows over the ground; the earth was awakening from its dreams and started another day. The tears of rain had been shed, watering the hurt the soil felt. Nurtured by the tears, the grass shone green, the planet radiating happiness. The sun grew higher, the shadows faded, and the dreariness was gone, as if it all had been a lie.
And the people slept next to another, both radiating happiness through their dreams. The sun warmed the birds' throats as it coaxed out a song for morning, a song of mirth that the sun was shining. The other, smarter, not-so-enthralled-with-morning birds swooped down and attacked the soggy bag of marshmallows with a vengeance, squawking loudly as they triumphantly gulped down a moist mound of sugar, with some of the plastic wrapper intact. Elena and Reno were both jolted out of bed by the birds' war cry, eyes wide with terror.
"What the hell's goin' on?" Reno muttered as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"Oh…just birds," Elena ran her hands through her hair, grumbling. Reno glanced at his watch, making a disgusted face.
"It's 6:30…I can't get up this early…" the redhead flopped down into his sleeping bag, shielding his eyes with his hands. Elena yawned and stretched.
"I'll probably just get up anyway…think the weather's good."
And it was.
Elena reveled in the piney scent as she stepped out of the tent, glancing casually at the ruckus the birds were making over the discarded marshmallows. The sun shone bright and warm, although the morning chill lingered in the air, nipping at Elena's bare thighs. She colored slightly.
"Reno, you gettin' up?" she called towards the tent. There was no answer. She smiled, glad to have the beautiful morning all to herself.
Zipping open the tent, she grabbed her shoes, a change of pants and a jacket, putting them on slowly so as not to rouse Reno out of slumber. She then zipped the flap back up, and, turning around, let out a happy sigh. The sun peeked through the canopy of the forest ahead of her; lace-like patterns speckling the ground. She headed toward it and stared at her feet as she walked, the dirt smell intensifying with every step. She was notably grateful that the rain had ceased; now she could swim at the lake and most importantly, not worry about the men staring at her dampened T-shirt.
She walked around in a small half circle, letting the crisp mountain air revive her senses and coax her into staying awake. She let her mind wander into whatever area it wished, thoughts shifting from mornings to ice cream to Tseng to socks and back to Tseng again.
She froze in her steps. How he would have loved a morning like this…and how she would love to have been able to share one with him. Tseng and Elena, the early risers, taking a morning stroll together through the mountains. She looked up towards the canopy and closed her eyes as she let her body take in the light.
Elena opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself back at the campgrounds. Reno was squatting, wearing the purple flannel pants and an over-sized sweater and eating out of a can of refried beans. Rude was already dressed in some sweatpants and a polo with the Shinra logo emblazoned on the breast pocket.
"Hey," said Elena, startled by the sound of her voice. Rude nodded his head in greeting. Reno paid her no mind and continued to shovel the beans into his mouth. She stood maladroitly, fiddling with the drawstring on her pants.
"We're gonna swim today, so you might wanna put your bathing suit on under your clothes," said Rude. "Hey…you two match." He pointed at Elena and Reno, noting Elena's shirt and Reno's pants.
"Yup…I was finally able to get into her pants," Reno smirked at his lewd comment. Elena sent a stone cold glare his way and the snide smile vanished in a heartbeat.
"Anyway…" Elena spoke with deliberate slowness. "I think I will go change, Rude. I don't plan on wearing this anyway. It looks like it's gonna be really hot." She headed to the tent.
"Reno man, you're never going to get the good girls if you talk to them that way," Rude clucked his tongue disapprovingly. Reno swallowed down a spoonful of beans and flinched.
"Yeah, I know…but it's just how I am. I can't change my ways just like-" he snapped his fingers. "-that."
The bald man took the empty can of beans from Reno and placed it in a plastic trash bag, humming softly.
"Well…maybe you should just give up the chase, then. If you're going to be immature, you should set your eyes on someone who can both dish it out and take it." He locked sunglassed eyes with the other man.
Reno looked away and scoffed. "Rude…you're talking to Reno here. And if you really knew me, you'd know that Reno never gives up until he gets his way." He stood up and sauntered over to the tent. "And I'm getting my way."
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More Author's Notes: Yeah.. it was shorter than part 1, but if I hadn't decided to split it into 3 parts this thing would have been about 3 times as long. So, what do you think? Do you like how it's going? Hate it? Let me know! Write a r.e.v.i.e.w.. *points downwards at nifty review column* Tatalatootoo!
