Disclaimer: None mine.

Author's notes: Someone should come up with a movie starring JUST the Turks. That would be the best thing ever.

On to the chapter! Once again, thanks for the reviews!

The explosion was deafening.

Reno wasn't exactly sure what caused it.

One minute he was having a good banter with Elena about something and the next, he found himself propelled forward by the shockwaves of the explosion onto the ground.

Instinctively, his next move was to move his arms to protect his head from the metallic debris.

Elena!

The thought hit him like an anvil over the head. He stood up quickly and called out after her but the only reply he received was his own voice echoing back.

It was as if his leg had come to life on its own as he sprinted through the fumes to get to her car.

He stopped short when the charred hunk of metal that used to be her car greeted his eyes and Reno felt his heart plummet to his stomach with dread.

Reno called her name over and over again as he circled the car, "Elena!"

The car was so badly damaged that he couldn't tell the bonnet from the boot.

Kneeling down, he started rummaging through the carnage for any signs of her.

"Fuck!" he cursed as he felt the hot metal burn his hands. That didn't slow him down but made him work a little faster to find her.

Or find what little remains of her, the little voice in his head said.

Elena woke up to a bright light that made her migraine even worst. Her ears were ringing for some reason. An attempt to move her head only made the pain in her entire body more obvious.

What the hell happened?

As she laid on the hard concrete floor in stillness, her fuzzy brains began to remember the events that had transpired.

The exact details were still unclear but she remembered getting into her car and Reno saying something and then there was a strange beeping sound as she started her engine. She must've thought it was a prank from Reno and got out to yell at him about it.

And then it went all black.

Reno!

Her eyes shot wide open when she thought of him.

Ignoring her sore muscles protests as she got back onto her feet, Elena tried focussing her blurry eyes to find Reno.

"Reno!" Her voice came out hoarse and soft. She was sure he couldn't hear it even if he was standing beside her; hell, she could barely hear herself.

When her view finally became clearer, she could see fumes about ten feet away.

Walking on wobbly legs, she started to make her way to the fumes. It felt as though every bone ache with agony in each step she took. But she steeled her resolve and continued through the blinding pain.

She'd already lost Tseng once and she didn't want to lose Reno too.

Reno hears the sirens from a distance and felt someone pulling him away from his search.

"Sir? Are you alright, sir?" The eager, young paramedic asked him but Reno pushes the boy's hands away dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, I am fine. Find Elena. She was in that car."

The paramedic hurried off to inform his other colleagues about Elena.

Around him, the scene was becoming more and more chaotic. Paramedics were rushing everywhere to find more injured victims and firemen were trying to put out flames.

Suddenly feeling the sting in his hands, he held them up into the bright parking lot lights and examined them; there were several cuts and blisters from his forage through the car wreck.

"Reno."

Even though the voice was barely audible above the sirens and other voices, Reno had no trouble recognizing it. He turned and much to his surprise, Elena was standing behind him.

Soot covered her clothes and there were cuts and bruises on her face and visible skin but she looked like she'd just been in a bar fight, not an explosion blew out an entire car into pieces.

The moment he saw her stumble, he caught her in his arms and steadied her.

"You alright?"

"I feel as though someone threw me over a cliff, picked me up, and threw me down again."

Reno chuckled grimly. "Close enough."

"What the hell happened here?" Elena asked as she studied the disastrous scene around her.

"I am not so sure myself," Reno replied, his voice filled with uncertainty, "But I think someone might be out to get us."

"Something stinks."

Reno instinctively moved his sleeves up to his nose and took a whiff.

"No, not you, Reno," Reeve explained, "Something about the explosion and the shooting at the bar just seem off."

Rude nodded in agreement on the cushy chair opposite Reno. He'd gotten back from a mission to receive news that both his team mates were involved in the explosion.

It was not a good night for Rude.

They were at Shinra's medical centre's waiting room, waiting for news on Elena's condition.

"If I find out the person that blew us up, I am going to really kick their ass," Reno said angrily, pounding his bandaged fist against his palm.

Rude sat stoically, but behind his sunglasses, his eyes were clouded over with anger.

Reeve paced impatiently around the waiting room with his hands clasped behind his back. "Who do you think would do something like that?"

"AVALANCHE," the two Turks answered in unison.

"…Besides them?"

Silence filled the room.

"To be honest, we have lots of enemies," said Reno nonchalantly.

"That's true," Reeve nodded.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter who it is though. We will get them."

Because nobody gets away pulling a stunt like that on the Turks.

"You seem to be spending most of your time here these days," a stern voice greeted her as she woke up from her slumber.

The voice that came out of her mouth sounded foreign in her ears. "Boss."

"How are you feeling?"

She licked her cracked lips and tried smiling, but her entire face was sore so she managed a half grimace-half smile that probably made her look grotesque. "Could be better."

From the corner of her eye, Elena sees Rude standing at the entrance of her room, still as silent as ever. He gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"The doctor says you were pretty lucky to sustain that sort of injuries from that explosion," Reeve said, "You will be fine after a few days of bed rest and then it's back to desk work."

She groaned. "Again?"

On the chair by her bedside, she hears a loud bark of laughter.

Turning her head to the side slowly, she shot Reno the best evil glare that she could muster. "Don't make my misery your source of amusement."

"Me? Do that?" He gestured to himself, "Never!"

"Bastard," muttered Elena.

"Well, regardless," Reno shrugged off her insult, "I am glad that you didn't get blown up with that car."

This time, she did manage a smile. "You know, you are not as bad and tough as you portray yourself to be."

"Hn. Don't get too used to it though."

Reeve looked on at the two Turks bickering with an amused grin. They'd seemed to forget that he and Rude are still in the room.

"What am I now? Chopped liver?" he mutters.

The corners of Rude's mouth turned up just slightly; he didn't miss the twinkle of delight in Elena's eyes as she argued with Reno.

And if the perpetual crooked smile on Reno's face was of any indication – he was probably feeling the same way as she did.

Just like two kids in pre-school.