Chapter Fifteen

Aura straightened her uniform before heading over to open a window. There was a pleasant breeze this morning and she felt like the lab could use a bit of fresh air. Systematically, she began sorting out her ingredients. That was what she had been doing all morning so far. Sticking to routine and systems, she had been able to try and keep her mind off the night before. What had happened with Reno? She hadn't noticed that anything was out of the ordinary until he had taken hold of her hips and pushed her up against that wall. Even thinking about the way he had pressed himself against her made her breath catch in her throat. She began alphabetising her bottles.

What had happened, though? She frowned, remembering the way that he had suddenly let her go. He had actually run away. Reno had run away. She didn't understand.

"Aura…"

Her hand freezing on the bottle she had just picked up, Aura tried to arrange her face into a neutral expression before she turned to face him.

"Good morning, Reno." She said, taking in the uncertain look in his eyes.

Reno hesitated when Aura turned to face him. She looked perfectly normal, and not at all angry with him. Still, he needed to apologise.

"How's your morning?" He asked, taking a few steps toward her.

"Fine." She replied, "I have to finish off this paste I have been working on. President Shinra wants to see it this afternoon."

"I'm sure it'll be great…" He said, watching as she bit her lip. "Listen, Aur…" He ran a hand through his hair. "Last night…"

"Yes?"

"I'm really sorry." He told her, "I don't know what happened. I'd had a lot to drink and I got caught up in the music. I shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay, Reno." Aura replied softly, "It's fine."

"You're not angry at me?"

"Of course not."

"Thanks." He smiled, "I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean …"

"I know."

Reno smiled again. "Good. I mean, you know I would never…" he gestured at her. Reno watched Aura's eyes turn hard.

"Yeah." She muttered, "I have work to do, Reno." She turned back to her bench. "Did you need anything else?"

"No…"

"Kay."

Reno took a slow step backward. When Aura didn't look at him, he glanced behind himself at the door. "Alright…I'll see you later…"

"Mm."

Confused, he turned and walked out the door. He wasn't used to Aura just shutting down like that on him. She never used to do that. Maybe it was a female thing. He would ask Elena.

Reno found Elena just arriving at her desk and the look she gave him as he approached her reminded him that Elena had been right there last night. She had seen everything.

"You've talked to Aura?" She asked as he stopped in front of her desk.

"Yes. I went to apologise for last night."

"Ah." Elena nodded, sitting in her chair. "And what did she say?"

"She said she wasn't angry at me… but… something is wrong…" He failed to resist a pout. "Go talk to her for me?" He nearly cringed to hear the whine in his voice. Elena apparently heard it too, as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Wow, Reno. Really?"

"Dooooit."

"Why do you need me to talk to her for you? Are you asking me to spy?"

"No. Just find out what is wrong and how I can fix it."

"Fine." She sighed and got to her feet. "Tell Tseng that I'm here, then. I don't want to be reprimanded for being late."

Reno nodded, stepping back from Elena's desk to let her out. "Thanks. I'll train with you later."

"Damn right you will." She replied, striding past him. Reno huffed and shuffled off to his own desk.

Crossing her arms, Aura waited for Elena to respond. She had just spent the last few minutes recounting to the woman her earlier conversation with Reno, and now the blonde was just looking at her silently.

"What a jerk."

That wasn't quite the response she had expected from the woman, but Aura nodded anyway.

"I told you." Zena piped up from the other side of the lab. Aura glanced over at her. "You're not his type. He just told you plain as day."

"Shut up, Zena." Elena muttered.

"I'm just saying." Zena replied, "I had warned her. Someone like Reno needs a real woman. He's not into cuteness and innocence."

Aura bit her lip as Elena turned her back on Zena, lowering her voice so the Doctor would not hear them. "Did you want him to…?" the woman breathed.

Aura met her eyes for a long moment. "I don't know." She replied quietly. "I just know that it hurt when he said that he would never touch me." Elena's dark eyes moved quickly back and forth across her face.

"I'm sure that's not what he meant. He's just … male… you know how they can never properly say what they mean."

Aura sighed, fiddling with one of her bottles. "Maybe." She breathed.

"He seemed pretty distressed." Elena told her, "Which is weird for Reno." Aura bit her lip again.

"Distressed?" She asked, "…is he okay?"

"He will be fine once he knows you're not pissed at him."

"Tell him that I'm not." She murmured.

"You don't want to tell him?"

"No." Aura said, "Don't think I would be able to speak to him properly for a bit." She looked back to her bench. "I need to finish this."

"Alright." Elena nodded, "Maybe we can have lunch later."

"Sure."Aura replied, her eyes still on her work. She hoped that Elena would keep her ideas to herself when she went back to speak to Reno. She didn't turn back around until Elena had left. Zena was on the other side of the lab, stocking up one of the supply cabinets. The older woman cast her a glance here and there, but Aura didn't speak.

Reno threw his pen down on his desk, fed up with trying to do his paperwork. Elena had been gone for a good half hour since he had asked her to go and speak to Aura for him. Surely that was enough time to figure out what was wrong with his friend. He still couldn't believe he had been that dumb. She had to know he would never hurt her, though. That he would never take advantage of her. She had to. After everything they had been through, he owed her more than that.

Reno went hurriedly from one room to the next. She wasn't here. She was meant to be here. "AURA?" he called, turning and making the sweep of their small house again. "AUR?" Reaching the kitchen, Reno stopped and just stood there. Would she have gone out? What for? They had restocked on food yesterday. Normally Aura going out wouldn't bother him, but they were always back by nightfall. Glancing at the window, Reno frowned at the darkness. Something was wrong. Grabbing his leather jacket from where he had tossed it at the table earlier, he pulled it on as he strode for the door.

The door opened just as Reno reached for the handle, and a short figure in a dark hood walked in.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Aura's voice said from beneath the hood.

"Where were you?"

"Nowhere." She replied, moving the bag she was hiding behind her back.

"Aur…" He reached for the hood, but she moved away, out of his reach, remaining hidden beneath it.

"Just… go shower or something…" she said, stepping further away. "I've got a surprise for you…"

Reno blinked, confused. "Are you okay?"

"Yes…go shower." She pointed toward the bathroom. "Go on."

Reluctantly, Reno headed for the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, he had showered and dressed. As he hung his damp towel up, he resolved to sort out what was going on. Something was up and he wasn't sure he trusted it. Striding out of the bathroom, he walked straight into the kitchen. Aura was sitting at the table, her hair tied back from her face, no sign of the hood she had been wearing.

"What's going on?" He asked. Aura looked up and smiled.

"Do you want some tea? I was just boiling the kettle…"

"Sure." He answered, moving toward the table. He had never known anybody else who drank tea. He wasn't even sure he liked it all that much, but he drank it because it pleased Aura to make it. Sitting in the empty chair at the table, he watched as she poured boiling water into his cup. She then set the kettle aside and put the cup in front of him. As she turned away, Reno caught her wrist. The apprehensive look she gave him told Reno that she had been waiting for this reaction.

Getting to his feet, he stared at her. Had she thought he wouldn't notice?

"What have you done?" He asked, "What happened?"

"Nothing happened…" She replied. Reno reached around and pulled the tie from her hair. He stared. Her hair, that had until that morning reached halfway down her back, now did not even reach her shoulders. He touched it.

"I sold it." She said simply.

"You what? Why?" He asked. She looked at him uncertainly now.

"Because…" She turned and put the bag she had been holding before on the table. Reaching in, she pulled out several books, some paper, and a handful of pens. Reno frowned. "You always say you want to learn." Aura said softly. "I… I'm going to teach you."

Reno didn't speak. He couldn't.

Aura continued explaining. "I know that I haven't had the best schooling…" She said, "But my Dad was really clever, and he taught me a lot… I know I can teach you."

Reno felt tears sting his eyes. He touched her short hair again. The fact that anybody would make a sacrifice like that for him was difficult to even comprehend. "Aur… I…"

"It's okay." She said gently. He ran his fingers through her hair. The blunt edges felt strange against his fingertips. She smiled at him and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Having left his mother as young as he had, Reno had had next to no actual education. The fact that he couldn't read or write much more than his own name had always been a sore spot for him. He felt stupid in that regard, and he hated that.

"Thank you." He breathed. Aura's arms just tightened around his waist in response.

Reno picked his pen up and looked back to the report he was meant to be working on. He wondered if Aura knew how much he owed her. If she didn't, then he would need to make sure she found out. He looked up eagerly as Elena returned.

"Is she okay?"

"She's just fine." Elena replied, "She's working."

"That ain't what I meant, yo." He said, "I mean, is she angry at me?"

"No." Elena said, moving for her desk. "Probably didn't help that you told her she was completely undesirable."

"I didn't say that!"

"You told her that you would never touch her." Elena replied, "That means you don't think she's appealing enough to…"

"No." He said, frowning, "I just meant-"

"But that's not what you said." Elena cut him off, "You kind of offended her."

"Fuck." He muttered, before letting out a heavy sigh, "I'll talk to her this afternoon."

"You do that." Elena replied, taking up her seat behind her desk.

Reno made a face. How could he apologise for saying something like that? And since when did he and Aura have communication failures like that? They had always understood one another.

Cursing his own stupidity, he looked back to the report once again. He would sort it out.

Author's Note:

Thanks, guys. The reviews are really motivating.