Authors note : Okay, this chapter is a little weird. It sort of varies between Elena's and Reno's POV. I think it turned out ok though, let me know what you think. Thanks so much to all my kind reviewers for their comment and such on this story. It is only my second one after all, so I need all the help I can get!
Chapter 21 – Safety
"Tseng." Elena panted, trying to keep up with him and Rude. "Wait!"
Tseng slowed and grabbed Elena's arm, pulling her forwards.
"We have to hurry." He said, just as exhausted.
"But…what about Reno?"
"He can look after himself." Rude piped up. They stopped at one of the fire exits. Tseng pushed the door open.
"Go." He said to Elena. She nodded and lowered herself down onto the ladder below her, Tseng and Rude followed.
Elena stumbled slightly as she dropped onto the hard ground. She looked up at the building before her, and saw the smoke.
"Tseng! There's a fire." She shouted. Tseng merely nodded and looked up grimly.
3 hours later, the fire had been put out, and the remaining members of Shinra were searching for any signs of life in the ruins. Elena kept looking out for Reno, his unmistakable red hair made him easy to spot, but the more she watched the people search, the less hope she had.
"That's it!" she said loudly, jumping to her feet. "I'm looking for him myself." She ran of in the direction of the building.
He was alive. Alive, but in incredible pain. Who knows what damage that fall had done to him. He opened his eyes, although even they hurt. He was laid on his back, and looking up he could see the door he had escaped from earlier. He coughed, the soot and smoke from the fire was still in his lungs. But, he had done it. He had survived. He shown Cloud and whoever the other people were; no one could kill a Turk.
"Where are you Reno?" Elena said quietly to herself. She came back out of the door to the building. He was no where to be seen, dead or alive.
"Elena?" she heard Tseng's voice calling to her. She shook her head.
"Have you tried outside? Reno's not easy to kill off, he must have found some way to get himself out."
"The fire exits?"
"Maybe." They both walked around to the back of the building.
"You know the building better than me." She said to him, "What fire exit would be nearest to where Reno was?"
Tseng thought about it for a minute, clearly working it out in his head. Then he walked forwards.
"This way." He said. They walked right around to the back of the building. "There you go." He pointed ahead of them. Elena ran forwards.
"Reno?" she approached the slender figure on the ground. "Reno!" she knelt down beside him and lifted his head. He was conscious, barely. She looked at him, his forehead was badly cut, as was his neck. Looking further down him, it became obvious that both his left arm and leg were broken.
"Elena?" he muttered
"Reno? How the hell did you do that?" she looked up at the fore door, two storeys above them. "Did you just throw yourself out of that door?"
He nodded.
"Tseng?" she shouted back to where the man was standing. "A little help?"
He hurried forwards and grabbed Reno's broken arm and put it around his neck. Elena did the same with his good arm and together they lifted him to his feet. Reno was too exhausted to acknowledge the pain of his arm and leg.
"Let's get back to your place." He said. "Come on Rude." He shouted to the man who was helping find other survivors. He abandoned his work and followed them to a black car that was parked outside. Carefully, Tseng and Elena put Reno in the back seat and got in the front themselves. Rude sat in the back next to Reno. He stared at the younger Turk, amazed at how he had managed to keep himself alive. Reno looked back at him and smiled weakly.
"What did I always tell ya, Rude? No-one can kill a Turk."
