Chapter 22

Reno watched the way Elena slunk toward her desk, barely minutes before she would have been late. He hadn't seen her less than twenty minutes early ever. He tilted his head and watched her with interest. Was she hungover? He knew she had gone out the previous night, but not being there himself, he had no idea what she had gotten up to or how much she had had to drink.

"Rough night, Laney?" He blinked at the look she gave him then. "Uh…" Reno threw a questioning glance at Rude who gave him a shrug. "You okay, Laney?"

"I'm fine." She muttered, pointedly picking up her pen and flipping open a file. He watched her for a few moments more, knowing that something was up with her.

"I'm here if you wanna talk, yo."

"Yeah." Her dark eyes flicked toward him for a second before going back to her file. Reno tilted his head. She seemed sad. He didn't have further time to process or work it out because at that moment Tseng came to a stop before his desk.

"The President has given orders to go and prepare the marketplace for his address this morning."

Reno took his jacket off. "Do I go with you?" he asked, "I mean the Prez said I wasn't to be in uniform when in the city, so I'm guessing I shouldn't be with you either."

"Go on your own." Tseng replied with a simple nod, "You can secure the perimeter."

"Bit late for all of this, isn't it?" Rude asked, "If he wanted to do it this morning, we should have been clearing the area at least by yesterday."

"He only wishes to speak for a few minutes." Tseng told them, "I am sure we can manage."

"We've done it before." Reno said, getting to his feet. "Let's go, yo." He grabbed what he would need and headed for the hall, he would have to get changed before leaving. No doubt if Rufus were to be speaking publicly, Cadan and his little friends would be somewhere about the place.

It wasn't until Reno was leaving the lodge that he wondered where Aura would be, as she wasn't due to head to the lab until that afternoon. Would she be at home, or would she be in the city? He pulled out his phone and called her, but received no answer. Making a face, he hoped that she wasn't with Cadan. He wondered what the situation was between the two of them since she had told the guy to leave the other night. He knew that the prick wouldn't have been happy, especially considering how the guy had obviously thought the evening was going to go. Was he even still going to see Aura? Reno rather hoped not. That would make things so much simpler for him. He wouldn't have to worry about the guy trying things on with Aura again, and if Cadan wasn't around, Aura would be safer in regard to secretly working for ShinRa.

He really needed to sort things out with her, but to do that, Reno would need to sort his own head out first. After he was done in the city with Rufus and he was allowed to go home for the evening, he would figure everything out.

Elena hurried for the doors, knowing that she was the last to leave, but somehow unable to make herself focus as she normally would. She bit her lip when she found Tseng waiting, and she braced herself to be reprimanded. A turk was never late.

She had just opened her mouth to apologise for being slack and to promise to pull herself together before they got to the city, but Tseng had stepped in front of her, preventing her from exiting through the doors. "Elena," he began, his tone low. She blinked at him, swallowing thickly as she remembered the way he had groaned into her ear the night before.

"Yes, sir?"

"I…" his eyes met hers for a moment before he looked away. "I… wasn't myself last night." He murmured, "If I hurt you in any way, I am sorry." She shook her head.

"You didn't…"

His eyes moved over her, as if trying to determine if what she had said were true and then he nodded once. "Good." He stepped away and Elena tried to even out her suddenly difficult breathing. "Good… Alright, then." She watched as he pushed open the door behind him with one hand, "Come on, then. Rude is waiting."

She followed him out to Rude and they escorted Rufus into Edge. By the time they got to the main market square, Elena was already wishing they hadn't come. The crowds were making her nervous, and she couldn't help thinking about being shot in that alley not all that long ago. Looking up and around at various rooftops, she scanned for Reno. Elena would have put money on him being up there, and a moment later she smirked to herself when she spotted a flash of red hair moving quickly around the square. Reno always did like the heights. When she had been a new rookie, he had shown her how to move quickly from building to building, and he had taught her how to choose the best vantage points for whatever she was after. She was not surprised that he was up there now to keep an eye on the President.

The moment the crowds shifted, Reno knew something was wrong. From above he was always excellent at judging the nature of things like that (not that he wasn't also excellent at judging it from the ground too), and immediately he could tell that something was about to happen. He had momentarily been looking for Aura, wondering if she was somewhere below, when things had changed. He got to his feet, his eyes scanning the square. Rufus had vanished from his sight for a moment, and an instant later Reno had leaped from the roof and was sliding his way off pipes and railings as he all but fell down the side of the building before landing expertly on his feet on the ground. An instant later he was running across the square. He could see Rude, head and shoulders above everyone else and headed for his partner as swiftly as he could.

By the time he got across the square, Tseng was lifting a limp Elena off of Rufus, and Reno paused for a heartbeat before bending to his boss on the ground and hauling him to his feet. "Boss?" He asked, trying to look the man over and assess any damage. There was blood on his white shirt and Reno tried to swallow the sudden panic that flooded him. "Boss, are you okay?"

Rufus looked a little stunned and Reno just about shook him. "Boss?"

"I… I'm fine…" Rufus blinked and looked at Reno for a moment. "Elena…"

Reno cast a glance at Elena in Tseng's arms. She was still limp and Tseng looked paler than Reno could remember seeing him. "We have to go."

Rude pushed toward them, and Reno turned to him. "Get us out." Rude nodded and began clearing a path. "What happened, yo?"

"Think it was one of their gangs." Rude muttered, looking over his shoulder. Reno pulled Rufus along behind him. "Elena saw it first… jumped in front…" Reno looked back around at Tseng following behind them, carrying Elena. That sounded just like his little Rookie. He glanced uneasily at the crowd. What in the name of Shiva had happened? He hadn't seen a thing. He never missed stuff like this. Tightening his hand on Rufus' arm, Reno pulled the man closer. They could have lost him.

"Elena…" Rufus murmured, and Reno glanced at him. "Is she…"

"Just move." Reno pulled him along more quickly, "We'll deal with Elena when you're out of here." As quickly as he was moving, Reno couldn't help looking around them, still wondering if Aura was in the now panicked crowd. She often didn't go in to work until the afternoon, but he hoped that wasn't the case today.

"Who are you looking for?" Rufus asked him.

"Nobody." He replied, pulling his boss down a narrow street after Rude.

The door flew open with a bang and Aura jumped at her work table. "I need help!" Zena cried, flying in, grabbing some stuff and flying out again. "Come help me!" Following quickly, Aura gasped when she entered the infirmary and spotted Tseng laying an unconscious Elena on a bed.

"What happened?" Aura asked, pausing halfway across the room. She blinked in surprise when Reno strode toward her, taking hold of her shoulders and looking her over. "….what are you…?" she looked up at him, wincing at his painful hold on her. She saw his eyes widen at his realisation and his hold on her loosened.

"Were you here or in town?" he asked her, eyes flicking back and forth across her face as she met his gaze. She could read the concern in his own expression, but she was also aware of other eyes upon them.

"I've been here." She murmured, stepping back from him and catching sight of Rufus Shinra behind him, watching them. "Reno…" He appeared to catch himself and he allowed her to move back, his gaze dropping momentarily to the floor.

"Good…" he replied, straightening slightly. "Zena needs help with Elena."

Blinking quickly to steady herself, Aura turned toward the bed Elena lay on and hurried across the room. "What do you need?" she asked Zena. The blonde woman didn't so much as glance Aura's way, she was so focused on Elena. Aura listened to the instructions she was given and set about completing the tasks as quickly as she was able. All the while, she felt Reno's eyes on her, and when Zena told her that she no longer required assistance, Aura turned and moved toward her friend. She stopped before him, but looked at the President sitting beside him. "Were you hurt, Sir?"

"No…" Rufus' pale eyes met hers and he shook his head.

"And you?" Aura allowed her eyes to look Reno over, her hand moving toward him at the sight of blood on his shirt.

"I'm alright." Reno told her, his hand coming up to meet hers "… it's not mine." He added, seeing what she was looking at. Aura frowned and she looked back to the President and the blood soaking his own clothing.

"Are you sure you are not injured, Sir?"

"The blood is Elena's." Rufus replied, his eyes going from her hand in Reno's back to Elena across the room. Aura slowly pulled away from Reno. They still had to be careful.

"Are you sure, yo?" Reno's voice started Aura, and she watched as he moved toward his boss. "Adrenaline sometimes does that… you don't know you're hurt until later. Maybe you should check yourself out."

"Why would I do that when I have you or Aura to do it for me?" Rufus' dry reply came with barely a glance their way. Aura flicked a glance at Reno who narrowed his eyes at the President.

"As you command."

"I got it, yo." Aura told her friend, moving toward Rufus, her hands careful as she undid his shirt and lifted it from him. Ignoring the traces of Geostigma that were evident, she moved around, her eyes scanning his chest and torso for any sign of a wound. When she found none, Aura stepped back. "Would you like me to bandage that up for you?" She gestured at the stigma and Rufus shook his head.

"I have to shower."

Aura stepped aside as the man got to his feet and then, with one last glance across the room, he strode out the door. Reno's hand found Aura's shoulder a moment later and she moved to sit beside him. They watched as Zena finished with Elena and Tseng hovered by the bed, paler than Aura had ever seen him. "Tseng really cares, yo." She murmured low enough that only Reno would be able to hear her.

"I know." He nodded. Aura turned to look at Reno once again.

"None of the rest of you were hurt? Really?"

"Really." He replied, "Just Elena."

Hey both looked back to where Zena was settling a sheet over Elena before ushering Tseng away from the bed, telling the man that they all needed to leave so that Elena could have some uninterrupted rest. Aura got to her own feet and Zena began ushering the lot of them toward the door. "Let the girl get some rest. She will be fine."

"Aur…" Reno followed her out the door and down the hallway.

"Yeah?" she turned to face him.

"Can… I come to visit you tonight? … I'll bring dinner."

She watched the apprehension fill his features before she nodded slowly. "Yeah, of course."

He smiled at her then, and Aura couldn't help the smile back. "Great. I'll see you later." She watched as he strode off down the hallway, a spring evident in his step. Perhaps things between them would be back to normal sooner than she had thought they could be.