A/N: I FINALLY finished this. I've been working on it for so long lol. I think I've been updating so slowly lately, so I tried to get this done as quickly as possibly.

I'm assuming by the way, that since the whole of Bone Village is surrounded by forest, that it's all called the Sleeping Forest

Enjoy

Chapter Four

"Come on Reno… it's your turn."

Elena had been moaning in Reno's ear for some time now, but the red-head seemed intent to block Elena out. Although the green duffel bag on her back wasn't heavy, it was awkward to carry, and since some of the stuff in it was Reno's, she figured he should carry it for a while.

"Reno-?"

"Seriously 'Laney." Reno said suddenly. Elena wasn't sure if he was angry or not, so she shut her mouth just to be safe. "You don't want me to carry it."
"Why?" Elena said, raising her eyebrow.

"Just trust me." He said. He tapped the side of his head and smirked.

"Right…" Elena said sceptically. She didn't bother questioning Reno's logic, as she knew he would just confuse her even further, probably leading to him making her look dumb.

The good thing was that after about an hour of walking, the forest ahead was starting to look closer. So much so Elena could just about see the village for which they were headed. It was a relief really, but she was still bothered about the storms. Just because they weren't in the helicopter didn't mean the storm couldn't affect them, and by the time they got to the Forgotten City their situation would be much worse, with the unusual electrical interferences that were usually around that area.

"Ya know, I would have thought this forest was a lot closer than this." Reno said, looking distinctly distressed. Elena knew that Reno hated walking, unless he was in the mood for it, and it seemed like this wasn't one of those times.

"Won't be too long now." Elena said. Looking at her watch she was that it was already half past four. Given their location, it wouldn't be long until it was dark, and if there was one thing Elena hated, it was walking in the dark.

It seemed like hours, but in fact, it was only 25 minutes later when Reno and Elena reached the edge of the forest. Elena could practically feel the pressure in the air from the storms ahead, and she didn't like it one bit. Reno however seemed completely unshaken by it, and leaned heavily on a tree on the outskirts of the forest.

"Can you remember how far Bone Village is into this forest?" Elena asked him. She stood as upright as ever, despite being just as tired as Reno.

"Meh, 'bout 5 minutes, that's all."

"Oh, good." Elena sighed. All she needed was to sit down with a cup of hot coffee. The pressure in the air was starting to get her down, and she knew it wouldn't be long before it affected Reno too.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked. The redhead was still leaning against the tree and was looking up into the sky, muttering to himself.

"Thinking." Reno said without looking at her. "Stake-out… I hate stake-out missions."

"You decide this now?" Elena said desperately. "I think it's a bit late. Now can we please go before I witness you turning completely insane?"

Reno stopped muttering to himself and nodded his head vaguely in Elena's direction. Smiling, he entered the forest, with Elena at his heels.

"Man, I hate this forest." Reno said yawning.

Elena merely smiled. She, unlike Reno, loved this forest. She walked in silence, hearing the bracken crunch under her feet. The light shone down in misty rays through the dense branches, creating a calm aura around the place. The blonde breathed in deeply; living in Midgar, she didn't often get this much fresh air.

She could see why Reno didn't like it though. The forest that surrounded Bone Village was appropriately named. For some reason, it was making Elena feel sleepy, which she knew would be nothing compared to how Reno felt, taking into account his need for an unnatural amount of sleep. Elena knew he was already less than pleased with being woken up so early that morning.

It didn't take them long before they reached the village. Elena loved it there as well; she remembered going there once before. It was a small, sleepy village, without many people. Just a hotel, a few houses, and a small mining organization.

"Stupid village, with no freakin' bars." Reno muttered in an irritated voice. "When was the last time you came here 'Laney?"

"Umm… on my first mission. With Tseng." Elena said, confirming the day in her head. She had been so nervous, but nothing had gone wrong that day.

"Riiight…" the red-head said raising an eye-brow. "So you should remember it a little better than me. Lead the way, sir." He mock saluted her.

"Why do I get the feeling your life goal is to annoy me?" Elena asked him. Reno merely smirked as Elena walked past him in the direction of the hotel.

"Can we get two rooms please?" Elena asked the man at the counter. He smiled at her with his welcoming dark brown eyes.

"Make that one." Reno said from behind. Elena turned around expecting to see a smirk on his face, but on the contrary, he had quite a serious expression on his face.

"Sure?" The man behind the counter asked, looking very amused.

"You never know when we'll need that extra gil." Reno said, his normal, cocky smile coming back. "So how much is that?"

"One hundred gil." The man answered swiftly.

"'Kay." Reno handed over the gil, but raised an eyebrow at the same time.

"Room 106." The man said handing over a key.

"Home, sweet home." Reno muttered sarcastically, putting the key in his pocket.

The room was fairly small, with an ensuite bathroom. It was decorated plainly, but homely, with cream colored walls and a dark blue carpet. The main thing that bothered Elena though was the bed. It was a double bed, but it was the only place that could be used for sleep.

"Nice room, huh?" Reno said cockily.

"Shut it, Reno." Elena said, furrowing her brow. She walked further into the room and sat on the bed. Sighing, she kicked off her shoes and sat cross-legged on the side of the bed.

"S'up 'Laney?" Reno said, sitting heavily next to her. Elena had the strong suspicion that Reno had sat as heavily as he could, just in a attempt to make her lose her balance and fall of the bed.

"Very funny." Elena said in a mocking tone. "So anyway, what's the plan now."

"Now…" Reno said, kicking off his own shoes. "I'm hittin' the sack."

"At 5 past 5?" Elena said, looking at her watch.

"Yeah, and once I wake up, we're making tracks." Reno said, laying down on the bed and closing his eyes.

"But it'll be dark." Elena protested.

Just as she expected, she got no reply. She silently cursed Reno, but wondered vaguely why she hadn't just done the obvious thing and smacked him upside the head; at least that way he couldn't pretend to be asleep. For some reason though, as she looked over at him, even though his eyes were closed, she could feel her irritation melting away. She had always found it so shocking how he could look so different when he was asleep, or pretending to be. It was like a completely different person she was staring at.

"I know I'm good-looking, but you don't have to stare it me like that." Reno said suddenly, causing Elena to jump.

"How-?" the blonde stuttered. He still had his eyes closed and the only movement he'd made was the smirk that had formed on his face.

"Turks intuition." Reno said, tapping his head. "Now, shut up and go to sleep. Trust me, you'll need it."