Chapter 73

Reno's hand tightened on Aura's as he pulled her after himself on his way into 7th Heaven. She sighed inwardly when the loud surge of music and noise hit her, and she tried to brace herself for everything else that was to come. She didn't know why she had allowed him to talk her into this. She would have much rather she stay at home for the evening. There was packing that she needed to do.

When Reno had walked through her door that afternoon, announcing that Rufus had agreed to let them go to Costa Del Sol, she'd been more than excited. Not once in her life had Aura even been on 'holiday'. She had never gone anywhere just to relax for a few days with nothing to do and nothing to worry about. It was not something that she had ever had the money to do, and she wanted to make sure that she had packed everything that she and Reno would need. Reno, however, had convinced her to come out with him, telling her that Elena missed her and that it would be good to see them before they left for a week.

Smiling at Elena as she slid onto a seat at their usual booth, Aura wondered at the look that quickly crossed the other woman's face. It was there for only a second before it had been relaced with stoic neutrality, but Aura was certain that she had seen it. What had it been? Guilt? Pity?

"I'll grab some drinks…" Reno said, glancing around the room, "Rude here yet?"

"By the bar." Elena replied, her dark eyes flicking to Reno before coming back to Aura. Aura just looked back at her while Reno strode away. "How are you?" Elena asked her after a moment, "I haven't seen you in a bit…"

"I'm fine, yo." She replied, giving a half shrug, "Better now Reno is back."

"I'll bet." Elena said, "It's rough when there's no news…"

"Mhm." Aura didn't know what this was. Elena hadn't been this awkward with her since they'd first met. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Elena tilted her head, running a hand through her cropped blonde hair. "That last day you came…" the woman began, her eyes dropping to her hands for a moment before coming back up to meet Aura's. "I… I'm sorry that I left you alone with him…" Aura's breath caught in her throat as she stared at her friend, "I… didn't realise…"

Aura's gaze slipped from Elena across the room to find Reno at the bar. Had he told the other woman what Rufus ShinRa had done to her? Did they all know now? How would she be able to face them now? What would they all think of her?

"Aura… I'm sorry…" Elena went on.

"I need to go to the bathroom…" Aura got to her feet and made her way through the dancing bodies. When had he told them? It had to have been recently if Elena was apologising to her now. She needed a moment to think, to work out what her response would be.

Reno caught sight of Aura moving quickly across the dancefloor, a deep frown across her face, and then she had disappeared into the bathroom. He glanced quickly at Elena who was chewing her lower lip, and he wondered what had happened.

"You go…" Rude clapped him on the shoulder, "I'm going to wait a few minutes until Tifa comes back…"

Reno would normally have teased the big man about his crush, but he wanted to know what had just happened so he picked up the two drinks he'd just bought and made his way back toward the booth where Elena sat. Placing the glasses on the table, he gave the woman a questioning look and she shook her head.

"I just told her I was sorry…"

"For what?"

"Leaving her with the President…"

Reno raised an eyebrow and turned, heading through the crowd of dancing bodies on his way toward the bathroom. Why would an apology like that cause a problem?

Reno didn't have much time to ponder because as soon as he reached the door, it had opened and he came face to face with Aura. She blinked in surprise as she looked up at him. "Why'd you tell them?" She asked, her voice raised to reach him over the pounding music.

"Tell who what?" he asked, looking her over quickly. There didn't appear to be anything wrong other than the look on her face.

"Elena knows." She said, "About Rufus ShinRa."

"… Are you sure?" Reno was actually surprised by that. "I… didn't tell her…"

Aura's green eyes moved back and forth across his face before she spoke again. "She knows…"

"Then someone else told her." He replied, "Or, she figured it out herself. She's not stupid." He reached a hand up to her cheek when she frowned again. "She is a Turk…"

"Does that mean they all know?"

"I don't know, Aur…" he slid an arm around her shoulders, guiding her back across the room. "I didn't tell them…"

"They'll think I… I'm…"

"I doubt it, Aur." He said, lips against her ear so she would hear him over the music, "My guess is Elena feels guilty for leaving you with him… like she failed to protect you in a situation where you were vulnerable."

Aura looked up at him. "But…"

"Trust me." He replied, "I know them well…" By the time he got Aura back to their booth, Tseng was seated by Elena and the woman was watching their boss out of the corner of her eye as the older man ran a finger deliberately around the rim of his glass. "Tseng, you're here…"

Dark eyes looked up at him, and the older man nodded. "Thought I should make the effort considering that you're off for a week…"

Reno gave him a smile as he sank onto the seat beside Rude and Aura followed him. "What will you do in Costa Del Sol?" Elena asked, and Reno saw her look hopefully at Aura.

"Ah…" Aura flicked a glance at him, clearly waiting for him to answer the question. Reno knew what he wanted to do when they got to Costa Del Sol, but he suspected Aura wouldn't appreciate him giving that answer in public to anyone, so he reconsidered.

"Take a break, yo." He replied, smiling lazily as he leaned back in his seat. "Relax and do absolutely nothing…"

"As if you know how to do nothing…" Elena replied, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I can learn."

Aura sat, listening to the Turks tease one another back and forth for a long while. None of them had mentioned Rufus Shinra since she had sat back down, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that their perceptions of her had changed. She was being ridiculous, she knew that, but she couldn't make it stop. Did they think that she was a whore for letting him do what he had? Did they think that she was weak for not stopping him? Did they know why she had done it? Did they pity her? Think she was pathetic?

Aura hadn't realised when their opinions had begun to matter to her, but they had.

Squeezing Reno's hand under the table, Aura turned her head to look at him. What did he think about her taking so long to stop walking into Rufus Shinra's office every day? Did he think she should have done it at the beginning? What must he think of her returning every day, walking back in there over and over again, alone with Rufus?

When he squeezed her had in return, Aura drew a deep breath. She blinked when Elena got to her feet and headed for the bar. Only a few moments later Tseng followed her, and Aura eyed his half full drink still sitting on the table. She felt a little bad that she hadn't asked Elena how things had been going with the dark-haired man. She suspected by the way the two of them had been eye-fucking one another every time they were within sight of each other for the last little while that it had to have been good.

She would ask Elena, when the woman returned from the bar, if they might have an evening to themselves soon. Obviously when Aura had returned from Costa Del Sol. They could have dinner and talk. If Elena knew about what had happened with Rufus Shinra, then she supposed that her friend would be feeling awful for leaving her alone with him recently when he had been in such an obviously displeased mood. She would reassure her that nothing had happened and that she hadn't been hurt. It wasn't Elena's fault, and she wanted her to know that she didn't need to feel guilty for it.

"Sweet Shiva…" Reno's voice cut into Aura's thoughts and she glanced up at him to see his bright eyes focused on the dancefloor. Turning her head, Aura's gaze swept across the gyrating bodies, looking for whatever it was that had caught Reno's attention.

She spotted Elena amongst the crowd, turning on the spot. Then, as Aura watched, the blonde woman took hold of Tseng's hands and began to try and move him rhythmically to the music. Aura, Reno, and Rude all watched silently as Tseng allowed Elena to move him. He was hesitant at first, but then, when Elena released his hands, Tseng continued to move of his own accord.

"What am I seeing?" Rude sounded confused.

"Tseng's 'bout to get down, yo…" Reno's response held disbelief in his voice and Aura nodded her agreement, not taking her eyes off of the dancefloor. Tseng was bent towards Elena, looking closely at her as he moved his shoulders in time to the beat, his feet moving to keep up with her, following her as she moved to the music. "Fuck me…"