Chapter 44

Elena came through the doors to the infirmary just as Aura was getting dressed. She had pulled a spare dress from her things in her locker, and so was pleased to be able to put something that fit her back on.

"I'm so sorry…" Elena said, looking at her and then at Zena. "It's my fault. I should have protected you better. Everything is my fault. I didn't even see it happen. There were so many people… I'm so sorry."

"No, Elena…" Aura shook her head. "We saw you defend us. You did your best."

"I should have been better." Elena moved toward her, and Aura watched the girl look her over, taking in all the visible bruises. "Sweet Shiva… What did they do to you?"

"Uh…" Aura looked down, hiding her face in her long hair. "Not a heap…" She heard Elena walk over to Zena.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Elena." The woman replied simply. "As you can see, no bruises."

"Zena…" Aura put in and the woman sighed.

"What?" Elena asked, "What is it?"

Aura looked to Zena who sighed again. "Fine." The doctor said. "Aura is concerned…" She began and Elena tilted her head, listening. "That I need help or attention or care or whatever…"

"Why?" Elena asked warily.

"Because…" Zena turned away. "That Cadan prick…" she broke off and Aura got off the bed she was sitting on.

"He was going to … assault… me." Aura told Elena who turned her attention her way, "But… Zena offered him herself instead." Aura watched Elena's expression change to one of utmost surprise, and the girl's dark eyes returned to Zena.

"Wow, Zena…" Elena's voice was soft. "That's really impressive…"

"Yes well…" Zena turned back to look at them. "It doesn't mean I cant be doing my job. So, let's move on, shall we?"

"Zena, you have to tell the President," Elena moved toward the doctor. "When he calls you both for a debrief… you'll tell him, right?"

Zena let out a heavy sigh. "Guess I'll have to. Rufus could always tell when I was lying."

Aura finished fastening her dress as she watched the two women look at one another. After a few moments Elena turned back to Aura and came to stand in front of her. "We never should have asked you to spy on that guy,"

"You didn't." Aura replied softly and Elena suddenly wrapped her arms around her, squeezing. Aura bit back a gasp of pain, and instead wrapped her own arms loosely around Elena's waist.

"I'm so glad Reno and Rude got you back." Elena murmured into her hair, and Aura nodded. "I wanted to go with them but they wouldn't let me…"

"It's okay, Elena." She tod her, "It all turned out okay." Her eyes met Zena's and the doctor turned away, moving to the other side of the room.

"I'm sure you both have other things to do this morning." Zena's voice rang out, "I've got some tests and stuff to finish…"

"Zena… if you want to talk about what happened…"

"We have people for that." Zena replied.

Aura looked at Elena who shrugged lightly. "Okay…" Elena said, linking one of her arms through Aura's. "We'll let you get to work."

Aura allowed the younger girl to lead her out into the hallway and down to her own workspace. Reno's red hair was the first thing they saw when they came through the doors, and he jumped quickly down from where he'd been sitting on one of her work benches. "Ladies…" he greeted, his eyes sliding over Elena to Aura. "Aur…" he stopped before he reached her and Aura smiled at him. "What did Zena say?"

"Nothing's broken." Aura replied, her smiled widening. "She doesn't think anything's wrong internally… though she's going to look at some of her scans closer later…" she gave a light shrug. "Bruising. Like I said." Relief crossed Reno's features and he nodded, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh, good."

"Now you can stop freakin' out that you've hurt me." She said, going up on her toes to lightly brush a kiss to his cheek before moving past him to her work bench. She bent to go through her cupboards, looking for the ointment she'd made for bruises. "I can have these gone in a couple of days. No dramas." She murmured, pushing containers aside as she searched.

"That stuff you gave me before?" Reno asked, sitting himself in a nearby chair. Aura just nodded and had been about to reply when Rufus Shinra's voice filled the room, coming from the speaker by the door.

"Aura, I'm ready for my treatment."

Glancing at the clock, Aura sighed. She hadn't realised it was so late in the morning already. "Guess I'd better go." She said, getting to her feet. She picked up the small basket containing the new mixture she'd created for the president and some fresh bandages. "I'll find you both later."

By the time Aura had gotten down to Rufus Shinra's office, she was aching again and growing more nervous by the second. She didn't think she had it in her to deal with him today. She knocked slowly and upon hearing him call for her to enter, she opened the door and walked inside to see the windows wide open and the morning sunlight spilling into the office brightly.

"Aura…" he greeted, motioning for her to move closer, his eyes still on what he was doing before him.

"Good morning, sir." She replied, striding across the room and setting her basket upon the desk.

"How are you?" he asked, finally looking up at her. He blinked and Aura watched his pale eyes move over her quickly as he took in her appearance. She just nodded, not replying. "Has Zena looked at you?" he asked after a moment.

"Yeah, did that this morning, yo." She took her ointment from the basket and just looked at him.

"Is everything okay?"

She nodded again, "Yeah. Just bruising she thinks."

"That's good." Rufus leaned back in his chair and began undoing his shirt. "Why did you wait until this morning?"

"I…"

"Where did Reno take you last night?"

"His place." Aura said simply as she moved slowly around the desk to him as he pulled the shirt off and set it aside. She opened the container of ointment and set it aside before beginning to remove the old bandages from his arm.

"Not your place?"

"No. Is that important?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"It's just interesting." He said, his voice taking on the silky quality it sometimes did. "Interesting that while you were injured, and I can only imagine how much worse you looked last night, he took you to his place… and not here."

Aura shrugged, "Retreat to somewhere that feels safe." She said, "Think that's pretty standard."

"Hmm." He looked up at her. "He wanted to take you somewhere alone… even away from people that he trusts."

"Perhaps."

"Why?"

"So that we were safe."

"I think that Reno is a little possessive…" Rufus purred, and Aura raised an eyebrow. "Seeing you all bruised and beaten would have lit a fire in him…" She could feel his eyes on her again, "He took you somewhere all for himself."

"If you say so."

"How long was it before he got you into his bed?"

Aura stood straight and stared down at him. "That ain't your business, yo."

"We both know that it is."

"No." Aura was surprised at how sharply her voice came out. "It isn't. You don't get to be a part of what he and I have. We were together long before you even met him and will be after you're gone. Our relationship has nothing to do with you, so you can try and play your little mind games and have temper tantrums all you like, but you wont ever get to be a part of it."

Rufus just smirked at her and leaned further back in his seat and Aura returned to what she had been doing.

"I'm am sorry…" he said after a moment, and Aura merely glanced at his face before returning her gaze to her hands, "for how it ended up."

"Oh?"

"I didn't think that you would end up the target of these people…" he tilted his head, "I thought they'd come directly for me… and that I'd have Tseng take care of it."

"Guess that didn't happen."

"I'm sorry, Aura." She glanced at him again, and then tossed the used bandage in the bin by the desk. "I am… You should have had more training… It shouldn't have happened."

"Yeah, well it did." She said, "No point complainin' yo."

Rufus fell silent as Aura began applying the ointment to his skin and then wrapping a clean bandage over him. She jumped when his hand came to rest on her leg as she stood over him. "Don't." she muttered, shaking him off and trying to fasten the bandage. His hand went straight back to her leg and he held tighter.

"Aura…"

"Get off me."

He let her go and released a sigh. "I just wanted to tell you that if you need some time for yourself, you can take what you need… go home… get some rest."

"I am kind of sore." She admitted and he nodded.

"Okay." He met her eye, "After the meeting this afternoon… sorry, we need to hear it before the memory fades."

"Makes sense." Aura turned and packed her stuff back into her basket. She then picked up Rufus' shirt and flicked it at him. "Put that back on." She picked the basket up as he shrugged back into his shirt and began fastening the buttons. "When do you want this meeting?"

"Probably about Two. Tseng is in the city. When he returns I'll call everyone."

"Yep, see you then." Without waiting to be dismissed, Aura turned and walked out of his office, pulling the door closed behind her.