Between the Shadows

By: Ethereal Fury

Chapter Eleven: You're Still Here?

Zephyr followed the guard out of the darkened room wordlessly, retracing the now-familiar steps back into the deceivingly welcoming fire-lit tavern. He checked his watch and found it was rather late; he should hurry back to the Akademy to avoid all the hassle of the security guards. Quite frankly, though, why did he care anyway? He had a permit; even if he was returning very late, he had authorization from a member of the staff. From Instructor Brendyn Blade, to boot; that should in itself earn him some respect with the security guards. No one had been able to wheedle the icy Instructor into signing them a permit before, and now Zephyr had just charmed one out of her without breaking a sweat. And he knew that essentially all the security guards thought themselves in love with the Instructor; he could easily use the permit as a souvenir of her prized signature as a bribe if the guards got particularly picky. He chuckled inwardly; it seemed as if every male but himself and the Headmaster followed the Instructor pathetically like lovesick lapdogs. Zephyr wrinkled his nose at the thought; at least he hoped the Headmaster wasn't after the Instructor as well. It would be just wrong for a forty-year-old man—her boss no less—to lust after a woman half his age and under his command. He shook his head with a half grin… nah, it was definitely preposterous; the Headmaster didn't have it in him to pine after his staff.

The deceptive cheery brightness of the tavern's main room hit him like a slap in the face and pulled him from his thoughts. Zephyr blinked a few times, forcing his eyes to adjust to the sudden onslaught of light. He was rather startled to find Aurora still there, drying some of the glasses. In a flash, he had crossed the room to the bar and was looking at her, head cocked to the side and eyebrow quirked in askance.

"What?!" she asked curiously, setting the glass she had just finished drying down on the counter. Something major had to be happening for him to be looking so intensely at her like that. Yeah, something was definitely up; he wasn't ignoring her. "Do I have something on my face, or do you find me so irresistible that you can't stop looking at me?" she teased with a grin.

Zephyr shot her an incredulous look that clearly read 'you wish' and shook his head. "You're still here, why?" he inquired in an almost annoyed voice.

Aurora rolled her eyes; she couldn't believe the guy, just marching out here after disappearing without a word and demanding she explain her presence. "Excuuuuuuse me Mr. Kane for beholding your godly presence outside visiting hours, but I work here, remember? I have to stay until my shift ends in five minutes."

Zephyr nodded and matched her sarcastic tone with his own. "And then? I am almost certain your father will be thrilled if you returned home at this ungodly hour."

"I'm staying over at a friend's house," Aurora explained, and after pausing to think for a short while, added with a smile. "And you'll walk me there, of course." It was a statement, not a question, nor a request.

Zephyr's right eyebrow shot upward again. Just who did she think she was, ordering him around like that? He was seventeen, not five anymore, and the only people he took orders from were his Akademy supervisors and his employers. And certainly neither of those included a prissy rich daddy's girl whose uptight father had a broom up his rear end that showed no signs of coming out. Aww, come on Leonstrife, you know you wanna walk her there—and hopefully back to your room, his conscience chuckled. Zephyr ignored it and instead replied icily, "I'm not your maid. You're old enough, walk yourself home."

Aurora pouted up at him. She wasn't about to show it, but the comment had stung more than Zephyr could imagine—or care for that matter. It had been clear from his tone that he thought she was some sort of spoiled rich brat whose father watched over with a magnifying glass. But she really wasn't like that; she was strong, independent (much to her father's dismay), stubborn, and often defiant. Besides, she just wanted a little extra time with him; was that really so much to ask?

"I don't need a maid thank you—just a strong, dark hunk to keep me safe. The streets of Zion aren't exactly the safest for a young girl to wander alone in. Please, just walk with me?" there was an almost desperate, pleading tone in her voice. And that pout wasn't helping any.

Dammit, curse that pout. Does it have to be so earth-shatteringly adorable? Zephyr cursed inwardly. Aurora still looked hopefully up at him, pleading silently with him. The only response she got, however, was the slight shrug of his shoulders as he turned on his heel and began to stroll out of the fire-lit room and into the dark, humid blanket enveloping the city.

"Hey! Wait! I have to finish cleaning up!" Aurora called out to his receding back. Unsurprisingly, he just kept walking, his gait graceful and assured despite his tiredness and soreness, boots thudding against the linoleum with each footfall.

With a frustrated sigh, Aurora watched him go, her gaze inattentively falling on his rear end. Correction, his incredibly nice rear end. She felt a familiar heat rise up from her chest and her cheeks burning; she was blushing again. Damn him for having this effect on her and making her behave like a giggly schoolgirl. Directing her rampant thoughts elsewhere, Aurora quickly finished drying the rest of the glasses, called out a hasty 'bye' to her boss, the customers, and the waitress of the next shift, and bolted towards the door. Maybe if she hurried up she could catch up with him and convince him to walk her. She really did not want to walk alone down the Zion alleyways at this hour. Normally, Reed would be gallantly waiting for her outside the door to walk her, but he was currently 'working' with some girl in the gym.

***

R&R!