Chapter 70

Deciding that she wouldn't be going back to Healen without Reno, Aura spent the next few days at home. She had given Rufus the next few tubs of ointment she had created, and told him that she wouldn't return until Reno was home. The President had seemed unsurprised, and had not pressed her about the decision. Instead, Aura had spent her time setting up a work space in her spare room. She had borrowed some equipment from Healen, and had organised the space into something she felt would be productive. She could do it, she supposed. She could run an apothecary from home. Perhaps if she was effective enough, she would be able to do it full time. She might not need to go back to ShinRa. She might not need to go anywhere near Rufus Shinra again. She couldn't keep playing his games. She wouldn't.

Aura stretched, lifting her arms over her head as she surveyed the room. Her back cracked pleasingly and she let out a loud yawn. It wasn't yet midday, yet she was exhausted and seriously considering taking a nap after she'd eaten something. Pulling her phone from her pocket, Aura checked that she'd not missed a message from Elena. The woman had promised to let Aura know if they'd heard anything from Reno. Nothing. Again.

Worry twisted in Aura's stomach. She was certain that something had happened, now. They should have heard from him. He would have found a way to let them know what was happening, he would certainly have found a way to let her know he was alright. He had promised, back before ShinRa. He had promised her.

Staring out the window, Aura chewed her lip. In the year that she had been living with Reno he had never been gone overnight. He usually returned by nightfall, that was what they had both agreed upon. When, on occasion, Reno had been late, he had always come home before Aura had gone to sleep. It wasn't safe to be out there during the night. Anything could happen. Anything may have happened.

Pulling the light tattered curtain a little wider, Aura frowned as her eyes moved up and down the street. Reno had not come home before she'd fallen asleep waiting for him the night before. She had awoken not long ago and found that he still had not returned, and now worry chewed at her more painfully than her empty stomach. She had no idea what she would do if something had happened to him. How would she find him? Reno had not told her what he was heading out for the previous day, and she had no idea where to look for him. What if couldn't find him? What if she did find him, and something had happened to him?

She had to try, she decided. If Reno was out there and hurt, then she had to do something to find him and help him. They couldn't afford medicine, but there had to be something that Aura would be able to do to help. She turned away from the window and pulled her hair up, securing it atop her head. Grabbing her jacket from the kitchen table, Aura headed for the door. It took a few moments to unlock the complicated system that Reno had rigged up before she got the door open, and then she shrieked when a tall shape staggered toward her.

"Where have you been?" She asked, gasping a moment later when Reno's knees gave way and she caught him as he fell. "Reno?"

"I'm fine." He murmured, grunting as Aura helped him onto a low chair by the wall. Aura's eyes moved over him, taking in the dark bruising across his face and neck.

"What happened?" She asked, unable to keep her voice from shaking.

Reno shook his head, wincing as he pushed a bag toward her. Aura took it and looked inside. There was enough food to feed them for nearly a week. "Ran… into a bit of trouble. Nothing to worry about, yo." He closed his eyes then and Aura pushed the bag away as she moved toward him again, going down on her knees to look at him.

"Reno…" she murmured softly, "I…" Carefully, she took one of his hands in hers. When she looked back to his face, his green eyes were open again and focused on her. "You… you've never not come home before…"

"Were you worried, Aur?" his tone was teasing as he smiled wearily. Aura just watched him as his expression changed, evidently reading her own face.

"Of course I was worried…" she murmured, "Anything could have happened…"

"I'm sorry, Aura." He said, his voice more serious now. "I didn't mean to worry you. I didn't mean to not come home…" He made a vague gesture to his face, "I couldn't help it."

Aura's hand moved up his wrist and then his forearm as she moved closer. Her eyes remained on his face. He looked as if he'd taken a rough beating. "Maybe I can help…" she glanced at the kitchen, trying to remember what they had and if she could come up with something to take the swelling out of the bruises. Reno shook his head and grabbed her own wrist when Aura went to stand up and move away.

"No, it's fine." He told her, "Let's just… have something to eat."

Aura nodded and pulled the bag toward herself again with her free hand as Reno apparently wasn't releasing her other wrist. She took a bread roll from the bag and passed it to him. He took it and gingerly took a bite. Aura lifted a piece of fruit to her own lips, her eyes still on Reno's bruised face.

"Do I want to know where you got this?"

"Probably not." She watched him look at her again, his gaze intense before he tilted his head. "What is it? You didn't think that I would abandon you, did you?"

"No…" Aura breathed. That was the truth. It hadn't even crossed her mind that he would just take off and leave her. "I… I thought something had happened to you."

"Guess it did, yo." He gave her a half smile.

"Don't do it again." She told him, no trace of humour in her voice. "Don't…"

"Don't what?" he asked, "Get us food?"

"Don't leave me." She said, "Without telling me you're okay…" Aura shook her head. "Please."

"Okay…" Reno leaned forward slightly in his chair, his eyes locking on hers. "Okay, Aur." He nodded, "If I can't be back before night… I'll let you know. I promise."

"Alright…"

"Don't worry." He smiled reassuringly at her, "I'll always come back to you."

Reno's eyes followed Tseng's pen as the man wrote down everything he'd said. Nobody spoke, however, until Rufus leaned back in his chair. "Do you suppose that was the entire shipment?"

"I mean, I guess so, yo?" Reno frowned, "It didn't seem as if they had some huge operation sorted. Seemed like they were just trying to sort themselves out in that one place."

"But there could be more?"

"It ain't impossible." Reno shrugged. Rufus frowned then.

'You don't know, yet you returned?"

"You sent me to destroy the shipment… I did." He sighed, "If we learn there's more we can deal with it."

"Sir," Tseng put in, "If you'd like me to type this up and begin inquiries…"

"Yes." Rufus waved a hand and Tseng left the office quickly. Reno raised an eyebrow at the President.

"So, did you miss me?"

"What do you think?"

"Look, I'm sorry I couldn't report…" Reno said, "Things are so much more cut off now…"

"That's fine, Reno." Rufus said, "I knew you'd do what you could."

Reno nodded and glanced toward the door, hoping that the man was done with him. "If that's all… sir…"

"Somewhere to be?" Rufus asked, his tone saccharine.

"Aura… doesn't know I'm back." He said, sitting up straighter in the chair.

"Ah, yes." Rufus' blue eyes were watching him intently, "She was more than a little concerned when we didn't hear from you…"

Guilt flooded Reno. He'd known that Aura wouldn't have done well with the silence. She never had. "I… should go upstairs and let her know…"

"She's not up there." Rufus' tone was easy, but Reno frowned all the same.

"Why?"

Rufus smiled then and Reno's stomach twisted. He watched as the man slid a small screen across the desk toward him and Reno picked it up to look. He was met with security footage of the very same office in which he sat. Watching for a second, Reno drew a sharp breath when he saw Aura slap Rufus across the face. His eyes remained glued to the screen as Elena left the office and his boss advanced on Aura. When Rufus took her to the floor, holding her down, Reno couldn't hold back a snarl, looking quickly up at the man grinning at him from across the desk. Unable to help himself, Reno's eyes went back to the footage, and he was more than relieved when he saw Aura get up a moment later, moving away from Rufus and then leave the office on her own.

"Why… would you show me that?"

"So you understand why she's not upstairs…" Rufus said simply, "She hasn't come for a few days…"

"If you hurt her…"

"I did no such thing." Rufus waved his hand dismissively. "Go."

Reno didn't bother to hang around to argue. He was on his feet and out the door in an instant. Halfway out of the lodge, Reno realised that he probably needed a shower before he went anywhere and he turned on his heel to head for the bathrooms.

He should have found a way to contact her. Reno closed his eyes as the hot water sprayed down around him. If she had known he was okay she would never have needed to go anywhere near Rufus. He had known she would be worried. She had always worried when he was gone. It was why he had promised her, years ago. He had promised that she would never be kept in the dark and, for the most part, he had kept that promise. There had been times he had been unable to keep that promise, like when the plate came down and he had been unconscious for a while, and those times had weighed heavily on him. This time, though. He should have found a way.

Reno was hot as he left Healen Lodge in a way that had nothing to do with the shower he'd just taken. His blood pounded in his ears and he could feel his heartbeat throughout his entire body as he headed for Aura's house. He needed to get to her. He needed to ensure that Rufus had told the truth; that he hadn't hurt her. Reno also needed to know what he had beat Cadan back, and that nobody had touched Aura while he had been gone.