I hadn't seen rain like this for a long time…it rapped angrily against the window like an impatient visitor, longing to enter. The sky was a miserable gray color, and I just knew that there was going to be thunder coming. Safely inside the darkness of my own room at the small inn, I just watched the deserted streets below, and wiped the mist from the usually clear glass of the window. Moments passed, before a familiar mix of colors caught my attention. Black…the Turk uniform, to be specific…and short white blonde hair. What was she doing here…? It was rare for a Turk to come to a place such as Nibel, and especially alone…Eventually, curiosity got the better of me, and I moved away from the window. Turning the handle and opening the door of my room, I locked it behind me and made my way out of the building. Soon enough, I found myself out there in the pouring rain, and a short distance away from the female Turk that I immediately recognized as Elena. I recognized her so quickly because like me, the years that had passed had not changed her very much since our last encounter.

Apparently, she had noticed me leave the inn, seeing as she had immediately turned away and pretended she hadn't seen me. She was completely drenched, but she didn't seem to care, and was doing an impressive job of ignoring the heavy rain.

"Elena." I heard myself call to her, only to have her pretend she hadn't heard. Well, I suppose that wasn't surprising…we had, on several occasions, previously tried to kill each other after all, but I had thought after 'the incidents' of two years ago (during which we had made an alliance of sorts) she would overlook it. Apparently I was wrong in thinking that. I could have left it alone, but there were certain questions that I felt deserved answers, and besides: Turk or not, I couldn't leave her out here on her own, for the sake of her health.

"Elena." I muttered, after approaching the young blonde. Feeling that talking wasn't going to get her to look at me, I gently placed one hand on her shoulder to get her attention. Surprised, she pulled away as though I had burnt her, and turned to face me. She looked as though someone had attempted to drown her…although, for all I knew, perhaps they had. Her usually pale complexion had become even paler –if possible- and was almost as light as my own…as well as this, her usually light blonde hair had darkened from the rain water, and was in wet clumps which were sticking to her cheeks. Only raising an eyebrow in questioning, Elena said nothing. I felt that standing out here in the rain might not be the best idea, as she was already soaking wet.

"Come with me."

"Why?" she demanded defensively. I will pause here for a moment just to appreciate how she looked at that very moment: blinking her honey colored eyes once as drops of water dripped from the ends of her hair and ran down her pale face. She soon wiped these away with an equally pale, wet hand, leaving a large streak of moisture on her cheek and more rain on her face than there had been to begin with, though she didn't seem to care... anyway… the tone of her voice had suggested that she suspected I was planning to kidnap her, or something similar. Well, with a job like hers, you can't take any chances whatsoever. I would know…

"Otherwise you're going to end up catching something…" I tried to persuade her, but she wasn't having any of it. I had forgotten just how stubborn she could be…

"I won't." I was beginning to get the impression that she didn't want to talk to me, but even so, I found myself taking a firm hold on her arm. This may have shocked her, and was an involuntary action on my part. Either way, if I were to pretend that the action was intentional, it had the desired effect. That being…it kept her attention on me rather than on any possible escape plans that may have been running through her mind at the time.

"If you won't come voluntarily, then I'm going to have to make you. Trust me, Elena…you'll get ill, and then you'll really end up regretting this.". It was then that a peculiar thought struck me: why was I worrying so much over her? She was nothing to do with me, after all. It was a mystery to me, and probably a mystery to her, too, as she tilted her head and held a blank expression, as if to ask: 'So?'. Her eyebrow raised and a look of suspicion appeared on her face, before she demanded:

"Was that a threat, Valentine…?"

Believe it or not, I hadn't intended it to be threatening at all. I had just been explaining that she would end up regretting her actions …though I can see where she would have gotten the idea that I had tried to threaten her. I was holding her arm rather firmly and trying to force her to come with me against her will, after all.

Turning back in the direction of the building I had come from, I held her arm tightly and ignored her protests as I led her back to the inn. I had decided against answering her question, as it may just have made matters worse.

Minutes later, she was sitting on the edge of the bed with her arms folded, and a sour expression on her face. As far as I was concerned, she could keep that look. I didn't care what she had been doing out there, but she wasn't leaving until I had made sure that she was healthy, and I had asked her some questions.

Allowing a small sigh to escape me, I entered the bathroom, and took a towel from the rail in the corner of the room. I allowed my gaze to move up the cream colored wall, to the mirror that hung before me. "…". Giving a small "Hmph….", I soon turned and left the room, approaching the wardrobe and taking out one of my spare shirts. My attention soon returned to Elena, who had been watching me walk around, and was now glancing at the two items in my hands. As I held them out to her, her light brown eyes studied the white towel, before her gaze moved to the shirt, and soon fixed on me in slight disbelief and confusion.

"The towel I understand…but what am I supposed to do with the shirt?" the blonde asked me, but I assumed that the look in my eyes told me that she already knew the answer. Had I not been trying so hard to gain her trust, I would have let her know just how foolish her question had sounded. It was all I could do to hold in any sarcastic comments and thoughts that entered my head at that precise moment.

"…Put it on."

"…You're kidding."

Well, I couldn't seem to be capable of controlling my tongue for long. Something that she and I apparently had in common. I ended up letting one snide remark slip, though soon after it made me realize quite how serious she was when it came to jokes aimed at her intelligence. Looking back, I suppose it was a rather cheap shot for me to take at her, and the reaction I received was deserved, if not called for:

"No, Elena. I'm actually serious. How many other uses can you think of for a shirt…?" I questioned, with something that felt a bit like a smirk. Soon remembering my plan to gain her trust, I immediately hid the smirk, and cleared my throat. Apparently she hadn't appreciated my comment very much, as she was glaring at me with one eyebrow raised. (Looking back now, I can't blame her.) A short temper, a right hook and a stubborn, argumentative attitude, a gun...oh…and a merciless tongue of poison from time to time… such a charming girl… I thought sarcastically, before feeling a pang of guilt. Actually, that's rather cruel, though…she has been out in the rain for quite a long time and on top of that, has just been pretty much kidnapped by someone from the opposite 'side'…I guess it's only natural that she'd be in a bad mood… I thought, casting a sympathetic look in her direction. It seemed that this was what snapped what little of her already severed temper she had left, and she soon made this clear.

"Spare me the sympathies, Valentine. I'm not some kinda retard, no matter how much you want to believe so. Oh…. And as for more uses for a shirt? Well, I can think of one, but you wouldn't like it very much…I'll leave you to figure out what it is." I heard her snarl. There was that irresistible 'charm' of hers showing itself again…oh, I knew perfectly well what she meant by 'another use for the shirt'…and it was nothing a lady should say. Then again, Elena was far from 'ladylike'. She was a Turk.

It seemed that I could only keep getting it wrong. Placing one hand against my forehead, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and couldn't help but think: I wonder how Tseng puts up with her…

"Just put it on, will you…?" I finally muttered to her, shaking my head. "It's only until your uniform dries."

"What? No way…I'm not…and I mean NOT gonna wear that in front of you!" she snapped as she swiftly got to her feet and turned away from me.

"Either you put this on and are free to leave by tomorrow should you wish to, or…you get ill and spend the time it takes for you to recover in that bed…which means that I would have to take care of you." I figured that this would persuade her, as she was showing signs of wanting to get away from me, and was obviously quite uncomfortable.

"Oh, what a saint you are!" she hissed scathingly, giving a sigh, getting up and snatching the shirt from me, with a reluctant and heated agreement of: "Fine…Damn you, Valentine…" she took the towel from me and entered the bathroom, slamming the door behind her, before locking it. As she had passed by me, she had been grumbling under her breath, and I had distinctly heard the word: 'pervert'. It had only been a few minutes since I had brought her in, but already it seemed like hours had gone by…by now, I pitied Tseng. I truly did.

Almost fifteen minutes had passed, and Elena hadn't come back. I knew that it could take a female quite some time to get changed, but this was ridiculous.

"Elena?" I called to her as I sat on the bed, watching the bathroom door. I was getting a nasty suspicion that she may have found some way to escape without me realizing. Part of me somewhat hoped that she had…no matter what I had hoped, I was wrong, however, and I felt two feelings at once. Part of me sighed in relief, and the other part of me felt a pang of disappointment at the fact that I would still have to put up with her.

"What?"

"Elena, do you plan to remain in there forever?"

"No…. just…until my uniform is dry. I'm watching it right now!" Elena replied, followed by a small: "Yup…"

For some reason, this comment caused a small chuckle to escape me. She had sounded almost…innocent in what she had said, rather than her former fierce and argumentative self.

"Elena…Just come out. Put your uniform on the radiator." I suggested, sitting up and moving to the edge of the bed. "You're going to be in there for hours…"

Apparently, the idea of this wasn't so appealing to her, as I heard the lock give a faint click, and the door slowly opened. The blonde was standing in the doorway, and the shirt I had given her was too big, so the bottom of it fell past her waist by only a little. Her slender figure seemed lost in the shirt that was much too big for her, which made her look even thinner. The window in the bathroom was on the wall directly behind her, and through it flooded the evening's light. Although it wasn't too bright, the light created the illusion of a heavenly glow surrounding the female Turk…I quickly realized that I was staring, so soon looked away. She hadn't seemed to notice me staring at her, as she didn't so much as look at me. Instead, she turned to face the radiator that was against the wall next to bathroom door.

"If you hadn't been nice to me, and I didn't…owe you…for what you've done for me…I'd be kicking your ass right now for staring at me like that."

So…she had seen me after all. I couldn't help but notice just how bitter she sounded. She had said the words 'owe you' after brief hesitation, as though reluctant and not believing that it was really her saying them. Elena's discomfort was extremely obvious by now, but I wasn't about to let her leave when there was a possibility that she could be ill. Besides, I had something to ask her. I realized that now was as good of a time as any, as I could sense an awkward silence coming. Allowing myself to think over how I would bring up the topic, I soon thought of a casual way to do so that wouldn't sound too suspicious:

"Elena, I have a question, if you don't mind…"

"Oh great, an interrogation." she grumbled sarcastically, laying her uniform out over the radiator before turning to finally look at me.

"Not quite, seeing as you have a choice of whether or not you answer me, which was what I meant by saying: 'if you don't mind…'"

This comment didn't go unnoticed. Immediately recognizing my words as another mockery of her intelligence, she adopted an ugly look of something similar to disgust. In my opinion, that expression really didn't belong on her face, and 'ugly' certainly isn't a word that I would normally use to describe her…the look she held at that moment didn't suit her…'gentle features' somehow. 'Gentle' features…if only I could say the same for her attitude…

"Just get on with it," she muttered with a hint of forcefulness in her voice that was a clever attempt to disguise her otherwise polite tone. Unfortunately, this didn't work, as her words sounded forced and un-natural.

"What I wanted to ask you…firstly, have you fully recovered from the…well…'circumstances' under which we last met? Also, why are you in Nibel…? Finally, why are you alone?"

She ignored my first and second questions, immediately reacting to the last.

"I'm not alone!". I couldn't help but notice that she sounded so defensive. This confirmed that she was lying.

"Oh…?" I began, in a tone that would make sure she understood that I didn't believe her. "Then just where are the other Turks, then…? They're certainly not here, are they?". I didn't realize how harsh this question had sounded until Elena reacted. Her reaction was definitely a strange one, though. Elena had turned to face me, and stared at me, wide-eyed for a few moments, almost as though she couldn't believe that I had just said what I did. In a way, nor could I.

A small involuntary sob escaped her, and her eyes seemed to glisten. However, she quickly and roughly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and replied viciously:

"Mind your own! Y…you said I didn't have to answer!!" This was certainly true…I had said that. I couldn't help but notice how odd her voice had sounded: strangely unnatural, trying to disguise her choked tone that told me that she was about to cry. As she had tried so hard to disguise the fact that she was upset, I ignored it and didn't try to comfort her. (As cold as this sounds, I believed that this was what she wanted.) However, I did fall silent and decided that leaving her alone would be the best option.

A somewhat awkward silence seemed to follow, and I dwelled on how cruel my words may have sounded to her. Deciding to do the decent thing, I opened my mouth to apologize. Surprise soon hit me when she suddenly spoke. Her speech had lost its forceful disguise. Her voice shaking and choked, she sounded…vulnerable. In fact, she sounded almost…pitiful.

"I've been separated from the other Turks, so I was waiting there for them to see if they'd show up. They didn't, and haven't for a couple of days now. I waited there for them, hoping they'd find me, but they haven't shown. You're probably wondering how we got separated…well; we were on a mission together. But I can't say what for. Confidential, you know…anyway… Tseng suggested we split up. Him and I went one way; Reno and Rude went the other way...one minute we're walking together, and next thing I know…I'm waking up in some guy's house here in Nibel. Apparently I'd passed out in the plains outside of town, but I think there's more to it than that. I think something happened, as I haven't been able to contact the other Turks."

I had no idea what to say to this, so I just sat there for a couple of painfully quiet minutes during which we just stared at each other in complete silence. Why had she answered me? It seemed she had surrendered the tough act for now, and accepted the fact that she wasn't going anywhere just yet. However, I expected that I couldn't be further from the truth. While I thought, a question seemed to slip from my lips without me even realizing that I was talking until I had finished.

"Are you feeling tired?" .It was such an irrelevant question…but I wasn't exactly surprised when she nodded in reply. I got up and approached her, offering her my hand to show that I didn't like to drag her around. The young blonde just stared at my hand as though I was holding a weapon of some sort and was trying to threaten her. Giving a quick glance at my face, she seemed confused, but hesitantly placed her hand in mine. I bowed my head in her direction for a second before leading her towards the bed. Releasing her hand somewhat more reluctantly than I had intended, I moved away from the bed, and towards the window.

"You can sleep here…try and get some rest." .To my surprise, she didn't argue, and just quietly lay down on the bed.

"Thanks." she mumbled, shutting her eyes.

What must have been nearly half an hour later, I thought she had awoken once again, but I was mistaken. Her eyes were still shut. She was moving ever so slightly and whispering something softly, which meant that I couldn't hear her clearly. Her breathing quickened, and her fists clenched tightly. I knew all too well what this meant…how couldn't I recognize it after thirty years of it? It was a nightmare, of course.

Something inside of me pitied the girl, and it was that part of me that made me approach the bed, and sit on the edge beside her. It was that part of me that made me attempt to comfort her and soothe her. Moving my hand towards her, I gently ran it through her soft blonde hair, which was still soaking after her standing out in the rain. Elena must have felt I was there…no. Not me. She must have felt that someone was there. My presence would be of little to no comfort to her. Why had this thought disappointed me? No…it hadn't…had it…? No. How could it disappoint me? It couldn't. I was just concerned…that's all…

She must have felt that someone was there. Someone who would be of a comfort to her…Tseng, perhaps… she unclenched her fists, and held out her hand to me, which I took hold of with the metal claw glove which covered my left hand and arm. Her other hand reached out to me, and I simply watched it, not knowing what it was that she wanted. I realized that she was still whispering to herself…I knew that what she was saying was none of my business, and yet I leant down towards her to try and hear, only to feel the hand that she had reached out gently brush against my right cheek, before resting against it.

Her nightmare continued, which left me wondering how to calm her so that she could rest properly. I thought for a few moments, trying to think how I could make her feel secure. It seemed that contact had relaxed her previously, so surely that was what she needed? "Sorry, Elena." I whispered, so as not to wake her. I knew that she wasn't going to be comfortable with this when she woke up. (Nor was I sure how comfortable I, myself would be with what I was doing, but what I felt right now wasn't as important as her comfort.) Hopefully it would calm her while she slept. I had no idea why I was doing what I was about to do…but somehow, I felt drawn to her. To be honest, I couldn't think why. She was stubborn, argumentative, and on top of that…well, something of a brat when she was in a bad mood. Elena had done perfect job of displaying that side of herself to me today, but yet…there was another side to her. I knew there was. There had to be. If she was truly this way normally, then how could she possibly have earned the reputation among Cloud and the others of being the nicest of the four Turks? The 'pushover?' It would have been rather hard, I assume.

Eventually, I became uncomfortable with seeing her suffer this nightmare- whatever it was-, so decided to try and do something about it. Before I was even aware of what I was doing, I had gently placed one arm under her neck, and the other under her legs in order to move her close to me. Placing her down so she was sitting on my lap and leaning back against my left arm, I wrapped my other arm around her and held her close to me, cradling her against my chest. I pulled my cloak around her to try and make her a little more comfortable, and just watched her, listening as her breathing softened and returned to its normal pace… how she would hate me when she woke up…but if it worked, then she could rest properly. I, myself had expected to feel uncomfortable with this situation, but to my own great surprise…it seemed perfectly comfortable to have her resting against me like this.

The rain continued well into the night, and I found myself watching her sleep. I felt like I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I couldn't take my attention away from her now peacefully sleeping form. Was it because I wanted to be aware of when she awoke, or had she sparked something off deep down inside of me…? Could it possibly be…affection? No…that part of my heart been rotting away while I served a part of my punishment in the basement of the ShinRa mansion. Once awoken by Cloud and the other members of AVALANCHE, I found that the affectionate part of my heart had completely faded away to become completely nonexistent. My heart had indeed been capable of affection in the first place, though. The same heart that I gave to a certain woman…Lucrecia…But I would rather avoid talking about that. I didn't wish to remember my sin…and I still don't…the memories that her very name caused to enter my head. To…subject me to the torment that I deserved…but…anyway… Elena wasn't my type at all…of course, the fair-haired young woman was attractive, I'd give her that…no. I had no idea why I was even thinking about this.