She did not like what she saw.

It was a horrible, ugly, gray day outside, dark clouds looming ominously over her head. The air reeked of rain; it was not camping weather in the slightest.

Elena groaned loudly, smacking her head with her palm. This had to happen. It always did. On the rare opportunity that Heidegger, that fat, lazy oaf, would give her and her fellow Turks a vacation, Nature would see to it that they would not enjoy themselves. No, not even a little bit. There had been bugs. There had been avalanches. There had been AVALANCHE. This month, it was a storm, lingering over their heads, watching and waiting for the perfect time to strike.

"Sure is shitty weather, huh, 'Lena?" Reno drawled, his messy red hair crumpled by a well-worn hat. His nose was slathered in sunscreen, its only purpose now to clog his pores.

Elena nodded, too dejected to grace him with verbal response. His backpack caught her eye, the sack deformed by lack of items in it. How like him. It was a cliché of Reno to be unprepared.

"Is that all you're bringing?" she questioned in awe, staring wide-eyed. He retorted with a raise of his red eyebrow, a sort of why-the-fuck-do-you-care kind of eyebrow.

"We're only going to be there two nights," Rude spoke calmly as he filled a canteen with water from the faucet. "We don't need much except for a change of clothes and necessities…" His voice faded into the air as he craned his neck to peer inconspicuously at Elena's backpack.

If you could call it that.

The huge sack bulged out at every angle, packed to full capacity with what seemed like every item Elena owned. A random sock hung out of a pocket; some dental floss was entangled in a zipper. Rude thought he saw the outline of a propane tank. How like her. It was a cliché of Elena to be over-prepared.

"Hot damn, Elena, you'd think you were moving, not camping!" Reno guffawed, clutching his stomach as he rolled with laughter. Elena crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

"Hmph! Unlike some people—" she glared once again at Reno's understuffed knapsack, "—I like to be prepared!"

"It's really going to weigh you down while we hike," Rude pointed out, as nicely as he could. Elena still would not budge.

"That is what I'm bringing," she enunciated through clenched teeth. "And that is what will be brung."

"Brought. The word should be brought." "I don't care!" she screeched, stomping her foot on the smooth linoleum. "Let's just go! Okay, bye-bye!" she trudged out the door, mumbling incoherently.

"…Reno?" Rude asked, his voice stern.

"…Yes?"

"Did you put anything in her tea this morning?"

The redhead smirked.

The weather's condition still had not improved by the time the threesome reached the camping site. In fact, it had worsened. A light drizzle had begun to fall, the miniscule specks of water drifting sleepily through the air. It was raining not so hard as to seriously drench one, but hard enough so damp clothes clung to one's body.

The men had a hard time not staring at Elena; the khaki shirt sticking tightly to her chest, accenting curves that they had never noticed before through her meticulously pressed Turk suit. At one time, Reno tumbled into a mudhole, too busy concentrating on the slightly transparent clothing to watch where he was walking. Rude couldn't help but stifle a giggle, however he was silenced when he too fell in the muck, landing on Reno in a disheveled heap. Birds took wing and left their respective trees, alarmed by his string of profanity. Elena whimpered softly, arms crossed over her chest self-consciously.

"I want to go home," she sniveled. Reno laid a muddy hand on her shoulder, nodding sympathetically. Rude sighed, his bald head luminous with crystalline drops of water.

"I understand that this isn't the best day for this—well, it isn't the best day for anything—"

"—Except for staring at Elena's…" the lopsided grin was wiped off of Reno's face as Elena took a wild swing at his jaw. She missed; consequently Reno ducked, slipped, and fell into a puddle, spraying dishwater-colored liquid over Elena's legs. Her bottom lip quivered as she stared despondently at her desecrated garments.

The men's eyes widened, and they rushed over quickly, simultaneously clapping a hand over Elena's mouth before a wail could escape her lips.

"Don't cry…please don't cry!" Reno breathed frenetically as muffled tears fell from Elena's hazel eyes.

"Look…I think I see the campsite!" Rude offered reassuringly, pointing at a patch of shrubs a few feet away.

"Yeah!" Reno smiled, pointing in a completely different direction from Rude. "We'll get settled in and then get something to eat…think there's a barbecue in that bag of yours?" Elena bit his hand in response to the joke.

"I'm fine," she said unconvincingly. "Let's get out of here."

And so they trudged on once again, in neither Reno's direction or Rude's.

"So this is the campsite…?" All three Turks stared somberly at the clearing, exhausted. Save for a few low shrubs, the area was bare, dusty ground dampened by the rain. Reno flung off his knapsack, not lessening the weight he felt on his neck. Elena gingerly set down the body bag sized backpack, shrugging her shoulders to get the blood flowing to her sore muscles. Rude unzipped his duffel and pulled out his tent, checking to make sure all the rods were intact. He chose a smooth spot of ground and began to set up.

Reno also reached into his bag and got his own tent; holes covered with duct tape in a wide spectrum of colors. Whistling, he paced in a circle, scanning the area for a level patch of land. Finding none, he kicked away a few rocks. Then, much to Elena's disgust, he stripped off his clothing, laying it over the ground as padding for the tent. Upon noticing Elena's gaze, he winked and put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be silent. She shrugged and initiated in searching her own bag for a tent, disrupted momentarily by Rude's high pitched squeal at seeing Reno in only his paisley boxers.

Shoving her hand deeper into the bag, Elena let out a small curse upon being prodded by the mercury thermometer. More curses followed after being jabbed by a fork, banana, tampon, and turkey baster, respectively. She stuck her head in the bag, surveying the clutter with the now-found flashlight. Rude squealed again as a slew of four-letter words shattered the silence.

"I knew I forgot something!" she moaned, rubbing her temples. She stared forlornly at the mess before her, various items strewn about the ground, the tent not one of them. Her mouth smarted as again Reno clapped a hand over it. And again Reno was bitten.

"Calm down, I'm not gonna cry," she said, irritated. "It's just that…I don't have a tent."

"Well that's not good!" Reno said, shaking his head in sorrow. Elena raised an eyebrow in feigned bemusement.

"I guess someone's going to have to share a tent…or sleep outside…" Rude pondered. The ice-cold stares of Reno and Elena caused Rude to quickly dismiss the latter thought.

"Well…why don't the guys share Rude's tent, and I'll take Reno's?" Elena offered, delighted at the prospect of having a tent to herself.

"No way!" Reno interjected. "Rude, man, I know what you say in your sleep…sorry, man, I don't have the stomach to share a tent with you." Rude bowed his head, ashamed.

"Well…" he started, after a long period of throat clearing. "That only leaves one option…Elena and Reno."

Reno beamed, gleefully remembering the wet T-shirt incident.

Elena grimaced, unhappily remembering the wet T-shirt incident.

"I'll go get my sleeping bag," Rude said awkwardly. Elena nodded, not taking her eyes off of Reno, staring through him, reading his mind. Reno nonchalantly waved a hand in Rude's direction.

How happy he was to share a tent with the pretty blonde, feisty as she may be. His heart raced at the thought; blood rushing to his head giving him a momentary high. He turned a beaming mug to face her. Her gaze cut through him like a knife, hazel eyes steely cold, lips pursed. He swallowed.

"Yeah, I'll go get my sleeping bag too," he mumbled sotto voce. Shivering, he found his bag and rummaged through it for the well-worn denim slacks and green T-shirt he had packed.

"Oh shit…"

He pulled out the T-shirt, garment drenched in sunscreen, the familiar coconut stench filling the air. The bottle had exploded most likely when he tossed the stained bag on the ground. And it sure hadn't skimped on soaking every item in the sack; items formerly known as trousers and porno magazine now vague gooey-white blobs. Reno calmly walked to Rude's tent.

"Knock, knock."

"Yes?" Rude unzipped the 'door', silently perplexed at why Reno had still not bothered to put on some clothes.

"Sunscreen exploded," Reno said plainly, as if it were all the explanation needed. Rude lowered his sunglasses, sky-blue eyes etched with puzzlement.

"Can I borrow some clothes?" Reno spoke again, this time more urgently. He scuffed the dirt with his feet as his eyes darted around nervously. Great, all he needed now was to embarrass himself in front of Elena again. The puddle incident had been mortifying enough.

Rude handed him a striped polo and beige pants, the clothing obviously too large, but better than nothing. Reno nodded in silent thanks and slipped on the outfit. It hung off of him in loose folds, the appearance more than slightly comedic.

Hiking up the pants to his ribs, he waddled over to the shared tent, not bothering to alert the other occupant with verbal greeting before entering. It was his tent after all, couldn't he just go in?

"AIIIIIIEEEEEE!"

The shriek from the sports-bra clad Elena gave him an answer. It was no. He blushed crimson, face matching his unkempt mane of hair. He turned on his heel and mumbled an apology.

Elena could not believe that she was stuck with this pervert, quirkily cute as he may be. For one thing, he had no respect for women in any way, except maybe as quick and easy lays. And he'd known her long enough to know she wasn't like that; the only person she'd even think of willingly showing her body to was Tseng, and where was he now? Dead and buried under Temple of the Ancients rubble. She sighed, pulling a maroon blouse over her head and sliding into comfy black corduroys. Her pillow and sleeping bag were already spread out on her side of the tent, and she clutched the faded pink pillow to her chest, savoring the softness that she felt she was never at the receiving end of.

"Can I come in?" Reno called, keeping his eyes locked on the undistinguishable shrub in front of him. Elena grunted, face still buried in the pillow.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, and clamored into the tent.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Elena erupted into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth that still hurt from Reno doing the same. Reno already was skinny, but the sight of him in Rude's clothes took it beyond that. The shirt was down to his knees; the collar hung off of his shoulder. The pants looked as if a whole other person could fit comfortably inside them. In short, he looked like a pubescent waif. The redhead furrowed his brows in response to Elena's laughter and chewed on his bottom lip.

"My sunscreen exploded, okay? Look!" he shoved the retrieved bag in her face. She peered into the receptacle, clearing her throat as she surveyed what destruction had taken place. She handed the bag back to him and he hmphed in approval.

"Trip isn't going well for you either, I see," she said softly.

Reno could feel his lips tingling, longing to comfort the girl with a soft, warm kiss. He squinted his eyes; when he opened them the feeling was gone.

Elena let out a heavy sigh. "I never liked camping."

"Why?" Reno questioned as he absentmindedly took his sleeping bag out of its sunscreenified bag.

"I dunno…I guess just being away in an unfamiliar place with none of the comforts of home is a little…well, it's a little scary," she chuckled softly to herself. "I know it's stupid. I'm a Turk, blah blah blah, I should be used to not staying in one spot all the time."

Neither of them said a word for some time. Every few seconds, Elena would push a lock of hair behind her ear; Reno would chew on his fingernails, humming some random tune.

"I'm scared of stuff too," Reno broke the silence, ring finger between his teeth as he spoke. "I'm scared…I'm scared I'll wake up and the people I know won't be there, ya know? It's fucked up, I mean, I'm cautious about what I do, 'specially in this job, but…I guess 'cause it's happened before and the fear kinda stuck." Elena looked at him quizzically and he elaborated. "My mom…she had some weird shit going on…she killed herself when I was seven, and…" he clenched his teeth together, breaking through the nail. He grimaced at the pain but did not make a sound.

Elena felt cold, not saying anything. But how could she say anything in response to that? She'd never really imagined Reno with parents. He always just seemed like a loner.

"Um…you hungry for dinner? I'll go make hot dogs or whatever if you want…" Real comforting, Elena, she thought. I mean…hot dogs! That's not what I'd want to hear…either talk too much or say the wrong thing…no wonder Tseng never lifted a finger in my direction.

Elena hardly noticed Reno's lips on hers, too lost was she in her own thoughts. She closed her eyes; the kiss was feather-light, like the kiss of an angel. Like Tseng…

Her eyes snapped open, hoping to see the apparition of Tseng before her. Instead, it was Reno, pulling away, looking into her confused eyes in a mixture of bliss and embarrassment. She unconsciously put a hand to her mouth.

"Hot dogs would be great," he said. "I'll go tell Rude."

As soon as he left, Elena grabbed the water bottle out of the side pocket of her backpack and guzzled down the liquid, trying to wash her mouth clean of that kiss.

Rude was more than disappointed that his fellow Turks were not enjoying themselves. He, personally, loved camping; it brought back memories of childhood, warm Gongaga summers spent making tree-forts with his friends and assailing girls with pinecones. He thumbed listlessly through an old magazine, bored out of his mind.

"I wonder how Reno and Elena are doing?" he thought aloud, mainly just to hear the sound of his own voice. He'd swear that sometimes he was going mute. It wasn't that there was nothing to talk about; it was that there was no one he really enjoyed talking to.

Reno and Elena. His main source of entertainment. At times he'd feel as if he were their babysitter; breaking up fights and keeping things in line. How he wished Tseng was still here, that man had a way with people. Without even speaking he could keep the Turks under control. Rude just couldn't do that, no matter how hard he tried. Face it, it was chemistry. The jovial redhead and the spunky blonde had something that sparked when they were together; unbeknownst as it was to the two. Rude knew that Reno had his eye on Elena; since they first met Reno had been going after girls who wouldn't hesitate to give him a black eye. And Elena…well, she was the most unique girl he had met, next to Tifa, that pretty brunette from AVALANCHE. She was smart, she was pretty, and she was damn brave…her only fault was that she would babble. Constantly. About her breakfast, her new shoes, a soap opera she watched on her day off, 'feminine issues' that no one could stomach, and at times even confidential mission information. Hopefully she would grow out of it; it really damaged her image.

"Yo, Rude man?" Reno's drawling tone broke Rude's train of thought.

"…Yes?" Rude questioned. Hopefully Reno hadn't done something stupid. Being stuck in a tent with Elena, he probably had.

"We're gonna make hot dogs," Rude breathed a sigh of relief. "Will you help us set up the fire?"

"Sure—"

"—Also, I kissed Elena. That's bad, huh?" Rude hit his head with the magazine. Very bad, Reno. He unzipped the front flap of the tent and stepped out, towering over Reno's 6'2".

"Depends," he spoke as he gathered stones, frameworks for the fire. "Was it a…mutual thing?"

"Err…not really. I kinda just leaned in and did it." Upon speaking, Reno realized he was a dumbass.

"Mm-hmm. Well, do you think she enjoyed it?" Rude laid the last stone in place and proceeded to gather firewood. In other words, twigs and the old magazine he had been reading.

"Dunno, man. I thought I heard her gargling afterwards…"

"That's usually a bad sign. Sorry, Reno," Rude fumbled in his pocket for a match and struck it, setting the mess of ignitables ablaze.

"Dammit!" Reno cursed, squatting. "I thought we'd reached, like, a wavelength, man!"

"…She still loves him, Reno."

"…I know," the familiar face of Tseng appeared in Reno's mind, his defined features as smooth as always, his dark eyes glistening with an accustomed light. "She can't let go."

"She can," Rude corrected. "She just doesn't want to."

The two men stared into the growing fire, engrossed in their thoughts. The sound of a zipper brought them back to life.

"Hey guys! Check out what I found in my backpack!" Elena appeared triumphant, holding a bag of marshmallows in front of her. "We can eat 'em after dinner!" Her joy lessened as she studied the solemn expressions of her fellow Turks.

"Or…I can eat 'em after dinner…" she set the bag down and squatted next to Reno. "What's up? Where're the hot dogs?"

"Dunno. Maybe you gargled them!" Reno spat. Rude rubbed his temples, embarrassed by his friend's poor comeback. Elena stood up and placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh, please! Are you really going to make such a big deal out of it? It was just a little kiss!"

Reno sighed, and a half-hearted smile crossed his face. He then shook his head, staring into the flames.

"A little kiss?" he mumbled. "I was pouring out my soul to you, honey. I thought we had made a connection. I thought we had something. But I guess I was wrong."

Elena's eyes widened, anger discernible on her face. "I should have known. Mumble a few sad words and expect me to be flat on my back? I never loved you!" Reno's eyes narrowed. "Holy shit, you think all the girls will bow down to you, don't you? Make me shut up for a few seconds and then come in with tenderness. I don't believe you. You make me sick! If you were half the man Tseng was—"

"Excuse me," he said. Without a sound, he rose and retired to the tent, leaving Elena standing with her mouth open, the insult unfinished. She closed her mouth, hazel eyes flashing with emotion.

"Rude…did you—did you see that? He just walked away… I told you he was an idiot. Always was, always will be." She clenched her fists at her sides.

"Elena…" Rude started. But his words were ignored as Elena followed Reno into the tent, leaving the bald man alone by the fire.

"Hoo boy…" he muttered under his breath, impaling a hot dog with a stick. Maybe he should just quit and become a parole officer. Sure would be a lot easier than dealing with two angsty young adults.

And the marshmallows lay discarded in a corner.

Author's Notes: Alrighty then...there you have it, part one of my looooooong ficcy. And this is only part one...>_< But there's only 2 parts! So don't be scared! Anyway...I'm aware that "A Walk in the Woods" is the title of a Bill Bryson novel, but hey...I couldn't think of anything else, and it fit. So...yeah. ^_x; Please review! Reading nice, happy comments motivates me to keep writing! And believe you me, I really want to finish this...I think it's the first piece of writing that I actually LIKE...anyway. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for part two!