Chapter 20

Aura rolled her eyes, clenching her teeth tightly. Zena giggled. Aura resisted a sigh, her back to the woman as she fiddled with bottles of ingredients. "Honestly," The woman said, "Didn't I tell you that I'd have my way, really? I did."

"Mm." Aura murmured, not wanting to turn and face the woman. Zena had been going on and on about Reno for the past twenty minutes and Aura had had just about enough.

"Now, that man knows how to keep a rhythm."

"Ugh!" She groaned, "Oversharing!"

"Well, you know…" Zena giggled and Aura turned to face her, "Well," The woman looked her up and down, "Maybe you don't…"

"Sweet Shiva." Aura rolled her eyes again, and turned, picking up the mug on her bench. "I'll be back. I've got things to do, yo." She then swept from the room, going quickly down the stairs.

Leaving the mug she was carrying on Reno's desk, she headed up the hallway for Rufus Shinra's office. After a quick knock and being told to enter, she headed inside.

Reno groaned as he sat down at his desk, his head in his hands and trying to move his shoulders as little as he could. He hurt. Everywhere. He'd given his debrief to Tseng when he'd first arrived. These little units operating around Edge with intent to attack ShinRa employees were more capable than they had been credited. He suspected that they really needed to rethink their idea that this group was just an amateur bunch of drunks who had an idea one night at the pub. They were rather more organised than that. Some of them could fight. Properly.

Reno's eye caught on the mug on his desk. Steaming hot liquid that smelled delicious. Knowing that it had come from Aura, he picked it up and took a sip. Warmth spread throughout him, and he drank again. The relief that washed through his body was almost instant. Closing his eyes, Reno let out a soft groan. He could breathe without his chest aching. Sweet relief.

"Have you been properly checked out?" Rude's rough voice made him look up at the desk across from his own.

"You mean by Zena? No, thanks."

"You made your choice." Rude said, "Man up and deal with it."

"Tch." Reno looked away. He didn't want to go upstairs to see Zena. He'd rather deal with the pain.

"He being a baby?" Elena came past and sat at her own desk.

"Yeah." Rude nodded and Reno rolled his eyes dramatically.

"You're going to have to see her sooner or later." Elena put in.

"I'm aware."

"So just go get it over with."

"I'll do it eventually."

"Do it now."

Reno sought for a good excuse. "I want to know what Aura found out." He said, leaning back in his seat. "I think she's telling The Prez right now…"

He watched as Elena sat up a little straighter. "We shouldn't go too far, then. Likely Tseng will want us when they're done."

"Exactly my thinkin', yo." Reno sipped from the mug, wondering how long the effects of it would last. Maybe Aura would make him more so that he didn't have to go and be subjected to Zena. He suspected that she would.

"So, you told Tseng about what happened?" Rude asked after a moment. Reno blinked.

"I doubt he's interested in what we do on our time off…"

"No… while you were on patrol." His partner huffed and Reno grinned.

"Right." He nodded, "Yeah, I told him. He reckons that Rufus is gonna want to make some sort of public address. Talk about how unnecessary these groups are. Try to get the populace back on our side, yo…"

"Makes sense." Elena nodded, "Appeal to the public… maybe someone will talk…"

"Doubt anybody that knows anything will come to talk to us." Reno told her.

"They hold meetings in a public bar." Rude put in, "Someone may have overheard…" Reno shook his head. He doubted very much that they would talk to anyone who wasn't one of their own. That's just how these people operated. Half their strength was in their sense of community and their mistrust of anyone who wasn't one of them.

Tseng suddenly appeared, gesturing for them to follow him. "The President wishes to see us." Reno got to his feet and reluctantly put the mug down. Tseng turned and headed up the hallway, and Reno glanced at the others as they too got to their feet before following the dark haired man. Just as they reached the doors to the office Aura came out. She looked around at them before heading away down the hallway. Reno watched her go before he followed Elena inside. The sort of detached expression on Rufus' face caught Reno's attention practically as soon as he'd taken a seat opposite his boss at the desk. Rufus only ever really looked like that when something was seriously wrong. What had Aura learned from Cadan?

"First thing," Rufus began, his voice low. "When out in the city, Reno, you're not to be in uniform."

"What?" Reno asked, frowning. "I… is this because I don't wear the tie, yo? I mean…"

"No…" Rufus turned his icy eyes on him. "It's because you're distinctive. The people that Aura knows; you've become familiar to them. If they see you in uniform…"

Reno got it then. Cadan knew who he was now. If he was made as a Turk, then that would link Aura to ShinRa. He had been stupid. "Oh…" he looked at the President then as something else occurred to him. "But, Sir… when you go out to make appearances… How am I meant to protect…"

"You don't need to be right beside me to do that, do you?"

Reno shook his head. No, he did not. He could be effective from a distance. Rufus nodded at him, and then looked toward Tseng.

"Right. So, I have learned something concerning." He began, "It seems that in order to turn the city against us, these annoying little worms plan to blame us for something they intend to do themselves."

"They're going to frame us?" Elena asked, "For what?"

"A false cure." Rufus said, "Like Junon." Reno watched Rufus lean back in his chair, his fingers steepled. "They're going to release a fake cure that actually kills the recipient. The people with Geostigma."

"…Why?" Rude grunted.

"Because," Tseng said gently, "They're going to make it look like ShinRa wants to dispose of a public problem. Apparently we will be luring the sick in with the promise of a cure, only to get rid of them permanently."

"So the cure from Junon doesn't work…?" Reno asked, "We proved that?"

"It's still being tested." Rufus said simply.

"…That's an extermination." Elena murmured, "That's… sick…" She looked up and around at Tseng standing behind her, "Surely people wouldn't believe that ShinRa would really do that…"

"Of course they would." Reno said flatly. "We just about obliterated the planet."

Elena frowned and turned back to Rufus. "What are we going to do, Sir?" she asked. Reno's eyes flicked back to Rufus.

"We're in a position to catch some of these people." He said slowly, "As they attempt to set up these cure stations around the city… We know what they're up to…"

"So when you make your public address, you can warn people not to go get the cure…"Elena said, nodding.

"No." Rufus replied, "If we do that we will miss the opportunity to catch them." Reno watched Elena swallow whatever reply she had to that, and Rufus continued, "We also need to squash their little gangs moving around the city. They killed two of my employees yesterday." Reno frowned, remembering some of the men he'd fought yesterday gloating about such things. He thought it had just been talk.

"Are you gonna want Aura to keep… pressing for info, yo?"

"I think so." Rufus replied, those cold eyes meeting his own once again, as if daring him to argue. Reno held his tongue.

Aura was sitting outside in the sunshine when Reno found her during lunch. He sat beside her wordlessly and she just glanced at him by way of acknowledgement.

"Thanks for the mug."

"No problem."

She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the sun on her skin while they sat in silence. Eventually Reno spoke again. "So, Cadan told you about the cure thing?"

"If that's what you wanna call it."

"Shit's hardcore, right?" He sighed. She nodded, still not opening her eyes. "But, y'know… we'll sort it."

Aura opened her eyes and turned to look at him. "I have to keep seeing Cadan?" She asked. She watched as he rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Yeah, apparently."

Biting her lip, she thought about that. "Maybe I can convince him to not do it…"

"Maybe." Reno agreed. Aura watched him struggle with keeping his expression neutral. He never had been good at hiding his emotions. "Could you do it without inviting him home?" Biting back a sharp retort, Aura just looked at him. "Do you think?" he pressed.

"Do you think you can keep your hands of Zena?"

"Are we going to do this again?" he asked.

Aura got to her feet. "No." She said, "I'll just go back inside now and hear the story in detail from her for the rest of the day." She watched Reno clench his jaw.

"Aur… I thought we were okay…"

She frowned, "Yeah. Doesn't erase the images burned into my retinas, yo." She took a step away and Reno sighed dramatically.

"What do I have to do, Aur…?"

"Nothing." She said simply, "I just…" She took several steps backwards, "Time… I can't… Every time I look at you I don't want to see…" Aura looked away as unbidden images of Reno thrusting roughly into Zena flashed before her. She shook her head. Suddenly his hands closed around her upper arms and she hadn't even seen him move.

"Aura…"

"Don't." She tried to pull away, but he tightened his hold on her, "Reno… Let me go."

"I told you that I don't want her."

"I know that." She replied, not looking at him, "I know… Look, I'm sorry. I said we were okay, and we are." She tried pulling away again, "I still love you, Reno. I just need to process…" She gave up trying to get away; he was too strong, "It was only last night. I still see it." It still hurt, but she wouldn't tell him that.

Slowly, Reno released her and moved back slightly. "I'm sorry." He said, his voice soft. Aura looked up at him, then. The dejected look in his eyes had her reaching a gentle hand out to him, coming to rest over his heart. She didn't want to hurt him. "I want to make it better." He told her.

"Then just let me have the time." She replied. He nodded and took another step back. Aura's hand dropped to her side and she gave him a small smile before turning and heading back inside and up to the lab.