Tengoko: Sorry for not updating yesterday...or did I? It's hard to remember when I don't sleep at night anymore. Well anyway, I meant to get this chapter up last night, but on the re-read I saw a plot flaw and had to re-write a major portion of it. In answer to somebody's question, this story takes place five years after Elena first appeared in the Mythril Mines in the video game. Hope that clears up some confusion. Sorry about that. And I appreciate the reviews. Keep them coming. Thanks.
------------
Rated M for language and romance
------------
Chapter 3: Desk Work and ArgusinDSA

Desk work. Those two words coupled together formed the most ghastly idiom in the English language. It meant boredom in conjunction with futility. Futility mostly because they gave you loads and loads of it. It was not intended to be finished. Only meant to devour your invaluable time, to take your mind off of other things that were much better than desk work. Of course, it never worked.

For the last three days, Elena had found herself looking longingly into a void. She missed going on missions. Missed the clandestine undertakings, the danger involved with her work. She hadn't realized it before, but being a Turk fulfilled a certain primal need in her, a Darwinian need. Survival of the fittest. She was the fittest, or least, she had been. Oh gods, she longed for the hunt, to suppress the fundamental, primordial instinct.

Dear gods, had it only been three days? Thirty-two days left. She would die. She shuddered to think of Rude's wait. She could barely stand her own. Staring down at the papers, all she saw was a canvas of white splattered with black markings. How could they expect her to be contented with this after all she had seen and gone through?

A loud howl snapped her out of her contemplative mood. Suddenly, a small man took off across the room, and all workers stopped as he let out a cry. Elena thought his name was Wimbley, but it was neither here nor there at this point. She stood up from her chair and followed him with her eyes.

"Dear gods, somebody stop him! He's mad!"

She turned her head back only to find Reno storm out of his office, waving a handful of papers in his hand. "Don't come back until you get it right, you scrawny-assed punk!"

"Reno!" Elena shouted, and his head whipped around to look at her. Immediately, his scowl transformed into his wily grin. Reno's trademark…well…one of them. Aside from his fiery red hair, his twin tattoos on his orbits, and his shoddy clothes. He casually made his way over to her and pulled one of the chairs out to sit in it. He propped his feet up on the round table that separated them and leaned back onto the chair's hind legs.

"So…how's life?" he asked nonchalantly, as thought the previous scene had never happened.

"How do you think life is?" she asked cynically. "At least you only have eleven more days of desk work."

"Yes, but in Reno years, that's a lifetime," he smiled.

"Reno years? What are you now…a dog?"

Reno chuckled and shook his head. "Nope. Merely a man. A man who can't be wasting his time on the crap Tseng gave me to expend the remainder of my two weeks. You forget, you have a hell of lot more patience than I do. Plus, I'd think you'd flourish on this kind of work, as fucking scrupulous as you are."

I scowled. "Just because I'm good at paper work doesn't mean that I take pleasure in it. Come on Reno. I'm sure there are heaps of things you are good at that you dislike intensely."

"You're only right by half. I am good at a lot of things. But I mostly enjoy them, and I mean that in the most literal way possible." There was no way Elena could miss that innuendo. She made a gagging motion which made him laugh. "Well…they don't seem to mind."

Elena closed her eyes and shook her head. Just when you thought you were used to Reno's brusqueness, he came and blindsided you all over again. The only way passed all this was to change the subject…that's if Reno let you. "So, how's Rude? Still at home?"

Reno nodded. "He's doing fine. Like I said, he bounces back like nothing else. And I can assure you, he'll be ready to come back to work sooner than you think. And he's just as raring to get to this paper work as you are."

"Speaking of paper work," Elena began, reaching for her cup of coffee, "what was all that about?" She raised her brow and took a sip from the cup, waiting for Reno's answer.

"What?" he asked quite innocently.

"Don't be obtuse, Reno," she scolded. "What did you do to that man to make him run off as though he were afraid for his life?"

"Well…I threatened his life. So, in short, he essentially was afraid for his life."

"I surmised as much," she said, using one of her drier tones. "But…why did you threaten his life?"

"Because I can," he smiled, quirking his own brow.

"Reno!" she snapped, only adding to his amusement.

"Elena, you talk too much. Why can't you take it at face value. Or, you can acknowledge the fact that you'll never know."

Reno knew right away that Elena was upset. He looked at her with inquisitiveness but didn't dare ask her what he had said to prompt her unexpectedly cheerless disposition. He just didn't understand it. Usually it took a few more minutes of ribbing to get any kind of reaction out of her.

Elena, you talk too much. How often had she heard that? She would have lost count long ago if she had bothered to keep it. Back then, it didn't matter all that much. But, now, it stood as a reminder of her inefficient skills. Her failure. Her inability to be a Turk.

Standing up, she gathered her papers and stacked them neatly into a pile. Clearing her throat and averting her eyes, she scooped them into a manila folder and slid the folder in-between two fingers that had previously been wrapped around her coffee mug.

"Laney?" Reno stood up as well.

"I've got a lot of work to do," she lied.

Reno knew. "Bull shit," he said accusingly.

"No. I really do. It's just…I'd rather do it at home where I can pace myself." With that, she set off towards the elevators. Reno watched her leave, dumbfounded by what had just happened.

"What a strange girl," he commented, before turning back to go into his office.

------------
That Night
------------

It seemed so small in her hand. And, her hands were small to begin with, so that was saying a lot. She stared not at her hand though. But at her reflection in the mirror. She tossed so many questions and reasons in her mind, debating what she would do now. It seemed like a bad idea. Every logical grain in her mind screamed at her to just set them down and walk away. But, the voice in the back of her head told her that it would make things so much easier.

They were called ArgusinDSA. Shin-Ra's medicinal exploration team had just developed them and they had yet to be instituted in the global market. The main reason was because nobody was quite sure how it would work on humans.

The pill itself was meant to not only counter exhaustion and depression, but it was also meant to stimulate endorphins, giving you more energy throughout the day. It was the miracle solution that Elena had been waiting for, but she had considerable doubts.

Her friend, Giuseppe Greyhen, one of the medical researchers, had taken a bottle in secret from the lab at her request. He told her that recent tests have made them optimistic about the success of the pill, and that he didn't think it would harm her to take them. The catch; it took a week and a half for the effects to begin. That meant Elena had to start taking them now.

She popped the lid of the orange container and let one pill fall into her open palm. It was about the size of a finger nail and was colored blue and white. She reached for her faucet and turned the water on at the bathroom sink. Putting the pill on her tongue, she leaned forward and swallowed it.

No turning back now.

------------
Meanwhile
------------

It was everything you could expect of a bachelor pad. Rude had seen to that. In his opinion, the most essential elements in attaining the perfect apartment setting was a comfortable, yet stylish couch, a large screen television complete with satellite, a king sized bed for pleasing the ladies, and of course, a well-stocked bar. He wasted no time going through the contents of the latter now that Reno had arrived.

Reno had just gotten his jacket off and plopped down on the couch when Rude hobbled over to him, a crutch stuffed under his arm, and handed him a glass of scotch. Reno took it gratefully and easily disposed of it. Rude sat next to him and partook in his own drink.

"I don't think that was the best idea, buddy," Reno said, pointing to Rude's arm. "Does the doctor know you did that."

Rude looked down at his arm and shrugged. Cast-less. "It's amazing how entertaining a switchblade can be when you've got nothing but time on your hands."

"So, where's the cast?"

"Hell if I know," Rude said, smiling to himself. "Reno, I am better off without it"

"No need to defend yourself to me," Reno said, chuckling. "I really don't give a damn what you do. I'll leave it to Tseng and Elena to scold you."

Rude fell silent for a while and twisted the empty glass in his hand. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Reno and said, "I'm worried."

"I'm sorry," Reno said, standing to go back to the bar. He pretended to be completely oblivious to Rude's glare, and as he opened the bottle of Jack Daniel's, his eyes widened. "Oh…was I supposed to ask why?"

"Damn right you were, jack-ass," Rude said, though you couldn't mistake his tone for anything but humorous.

"Alright," Reno said, filling his glass. "Tell me what you are worried about so we can skip being emotional when we get really foxed."

"I don't get emotional when I'm foxed," Rude protested. "And you've never seen me foxed, so you wouldn't know. For that matter, you don't get emotional either, so cut the bull shit, Reno."

"I'm trying," he said sincerely. "I'm waiting for you to get to your point, Rude. Now, if you'd do that, I wait with bated breath."

"It's Elena," Rude confessed. "Have you not noticed that she's been acting…odd."

"I thought odd was normal for her," Reno said, sipping his drink.

"This is different," Rude persisted. "I've never seen her like this. She was by earlier today by the way. She was okay at first, and we were talking about…hell, what were we talking about? But you see, that's the point. We were getting on fine until I said…something."

"Thanks for the clarity on that, Rude. Had you been indistinct, I'd be amazingly annoyed right now." He had to dodge Rude's backhand, but was laughing anyway. "Sorry, sorry. So, you said…something. Obviously you didn't think it was important or you would have remembered. But…"

"Whatever it was, it upset her. Then she started rambling and shit. It wasn't like her to be so inarticulate. Then she got real antsy and made some bull shit excuse to leave."

Reno was no longer smiling. "Yeah, she did that to me today. But, I have no idea what I said either." He set his glass down on Rude's coffee table and leaned forward. "That's the thing about women. They're so fucking emotional. Anything sets them off. They're only good for one thing."

"We aren't talking about women, Reno. We're talking about Elena. Elena the Turk. Not the woman. Got that?"

"Well, it's obvious what's bothering her," Reno said matter-of-factly.

"Then enlighten me oh wise one."

"She's still eating herself up with guilt." That had to be it. There really was no other explanation as far as Reno was concerned. But, then again, he didn't really know her that well on a personal level. Hell, he barely got along with her on a professional level. But still, it hadn't escaped his notice. Something was wrong with Elena.