Chapter 82

Aura's eyes opened and she was suddenly awake. Stretching as she rolled onto her side, she reached a hand out for Reno but found only empty sheets beside her. "Reno?" Aura lifted her head and looked around the room, but he wasn't there. With a sigh she let her head fall back onto the pillow and she stretched again arching her back and giving a contented groan at just how good it felt.

When she sat up, Aura swung her legs over the side of the bed, sliding forward until she could reach the floor. "Reno?" She looked toward the door, leaning forward to try and see out into the hallway, but there was still no sign of him. She wondered how long he had been up for, and what he was doing, and she wondered how she hadn't noticed him get out of bed. "Ugh…" Running a hand over her face and up through her hair, Aura got to her feet deciding that she would go and have a shower before heading downstairs. She knew that she definitely needed one because her hair felt gross, she could feel the remnants of last night between her thighs and the salty texture of dried sweat on her skin. A shower was top priority.

Once she'd grabbed some clean clothes, Aura had headed into the bathroom and had gotten the shower running nice and hot before she stepped under the spray. Soaking the washcloth in her hand, she moved it down between her legs to scrub herself clean before dipping her head back and drenching her hair. She was a little sore, she'd discovered, and she supposed she should have been expecting that. Closing her eyes, Aura let the heat soak into her, hoping it would ease the tension and bring her some relief.

After lathering and rinsing her hair, Aura combed it under the water before squeezing it out and shutting the water off. She wrapped herself and her hair in towels and then stepped out to get dressed after checking that Reno still wasn't back in the bedroom.

By the time Aura had dried her hair and fixed herself up, the sun was streaming in through the windows by the stairs as she headed down to the kitchen. She walked quickly around, looking for Reno and then determining that he wasn't at all in the house and wondered where it was that he had gone.

When she had opened several of the cupboards in the kitchen and found nothing that sparked her interest for breakfast, she figured he'd probably gone to get them some food. Aura had just closed a cupboard when she noticed a shadow pass across the wall and, knowing that it had come from something moving on the balcony, she froze, keeping her back to the door. When a light breeze lifted a lock of her hair across her face, Aura knew that the door had been opened and she carefully and surreptitiously opened a drawer, slipping a knife out and into her hand without moving too obviously. She just barely heard the light scuff of a foot on the tiles and then Aura spun, the knife held loosely in her hand.

"Who the fuck are you, yo?"

The redheaded girl looked at Aura, and she knew the answer before she received her response. "Cissnei."

Fighting hard to keep her face neutral, Aura pointed her knife at the girl. "… what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to meet you…"

"What? Why?"

"Well…" Cissnei smiled sweetly at her, moving toward the kitchen bench. "I was curious."

Staring at her, Aura tried to quickly work out what was happening. Why would Cissnei, someone Reno used to sleep with, be here and curious about her? The girl obviously knew she would be here. Had she seen Reno? What did she hope to achieve by coming here? What was her intention? Was she safe? Was the girl a threat?

"Curious about what?" Aura asked, following Cissnei's path with her knife, moving away and careful to keep her steps light.

"Who you were…"

"Why's that matter to you, yo?"

"Do you know who I am?" Cissnei asked her in turn.

"You used to be a Turk."

Cissnei flicked her red hair over her shoulder, dark eyes following every move Aura made. "Reno tell you about me?"

Aura's eyes narrowed. "Yes."

"You needn't look so concerned." Cissnei lifted herself to sit on a bench. "I'm not here for him in the slightest."

"No?"

"I told you. I was curious to meet you."

"… I don't understand why…" Aura slowly lowered the knife, not feeling threatened.

"Well…" Cissnei smiled at her. "I was curious as to who the girl was … making Reno act so… out of character."

"I don't make him act out of character." Aura replied bluntly. "He's like he always has been."

"Always?" Cissnei tilted her head. "Yes… you're… what did Reno say? Ah, 'Old Friends'."

Aura fiddled with the blade in her hands. Old Friends? Was that how he referred to her? And when had he talked to Cissnei? "I didn't know you were still in contact…" She had been under the impression that Cissnei had left and had nothing to do with ShinRa anymore.

"We aren't. I stopped by after I saw you two in the street…"

"You live here…"

"Yeah." Cissnei's eyes moved over her. "Aura, was it?"

Aura didn't remember telling the girl her name. "Yeah…"

"I guess this is probably weird for you…"

"You could say that, yo." She moved to lean back against the other bench. "Still tryin' to work out if you're gonna attack me or somethin'"

Cissnei gave a bark of a laugh. "Nah. I just wanted to get a better look at you."

"Why?"

Cissnei's eyes moved over her again, much more thoroughly, and Aura began to feel rather uncomfortable under her scrutiny. "He used to pretend I was you."

Aura leaned forward, unsure she'd heard that. "… What?"

"Yeah,"

"No…" Shaking her head, Aura eyed the redhead sceptically. "That's not a thing, yo. And you know how I know that? Because I've known Reno since we were kids and our relationship had never been anything…" she broke off, remembering the conversation she and Reno had had last night. Cissnei quirked a smile at her.

"Don't think even he realised it at the time, but yeah…" Cissnei slid off the bench and took several steps toward Aura. "I just had to get a look at you."

Aura backed further into the cupboard. "Kay... well… you've seen me…"

"Yeah." Cissnei smiled wider, "You are not what I would have thought he'd be into…" Aura's jaw dropped and for a second she considered smacking the girl but Cissnei made a face. "I didn't mean that to sound like that…"

"Really, yo?"

"I just meant that he kind of always seemed more into…" she made a weird vague gesture with her hands, and Aura knew exactly what she meant. She'd had the same thought about Reno's tastes herself. "But you're nice…" Cissnei went on and Aura raised an eyebrow at her. She had the distinct impression that Cissnei was reading her again, and she found it difficult to meet the girl's eyes. "I'm glad." Cissnei said, and Aura flicked a glance back up at her before looking somewhere around the girl's shoulder. "I'm glad he finally got you…"

"K-kay… thanks…"

"Bet he's glad too…"

"I… guess…" Aura glanced toward the door. She didn't know where this was going, or how it was going to end. What if Cissnei wouldn't leave? Would Reno come back soon and save her? What would his reaction be to find them together? What if he didn't come back and she couldn't get rid of the other girl? "I imagine that must be intense…" Cissnei was saying and Aura tried to keep her face neutral as she listened, "All that pent-up need…" Aura's eyes widened and Cissnei laughed. "I know he can be powerful…"

"Sweet Shiva…" Aura muttered, a hand coming up to run through her hair.

"Yeah, you know what I'm talking about…"

Aura closed her eyes for a moment, trying to work out what to do. "Cissnei…" she jumped when the redhead touched her arm, and her eyes flew open to see what she was doing. Cissnei smiled at her.

"Bet you've worked that out by now though, hey…" She gave Aura a nudge, "And sometimes, he just needs to fuck, y'know? Like when he's had a shit day"

"I am very uncomfortable with this conversation." Aura didn't know what else to say to her.

Cissnei took a step back, and Aura looked at her. "Sorry…" Aura watched the girl's dark eyes move over her again, "Sorry, I thought you… I figured if you… Reno is so…" Cissnei was quiet for a moment, "I didn't think you'd be shy."

"I'm not shy." Aura was irritated now. "And if you tell me one more time that I'm not what you expected or that I'm not what you thought his type was, we're gonna have a problem, yo."

The corner of Cissnei's mouth quirked up in a smile. "I see."

"You don't know me, and I don't know you. Other, that is to say, than you're someone Reno used to work with, and sometimes sleep with."

Cissnei nodded and smiled again. "What else is there to know?"

"Why you're here? Other than to marvel over how wrong you think I am for him… and if you're going to try and murder me or something just get on with it."

"That's not it at all." Cissnei frowned slightly, "If you think I'm here out of some jealous desire, you're wrong. I have no reason to be jealous. Why would I want Reno back when he never wanted me to begin with? And I never wanted him, to be honest." Aura just listened. "He was my friend… and I was truthful when I told you that I was curious about who he did actually want." Cissnei gave her another smile, "Sorry if you were put off by my surprise, but I had pictured you quite differently. That doesn't mean I think you're wrong, though, just maybe that I never knew Reno quite as well as I thought I did."

"Guess… you thought he'd be into…" Aura sought for the words to describe the type of woman she'd always thought Reno would seek out.

"Cheap sluts?" Aura met her eyes and Cissnei grinned at her. "He did used to go home with some sleazy looking women, I just figured that was his type and, knowing how hard he fucks, you just don't look like someone to be treated that way…"

"I'm not better than him." Aura said flatly, "We're from the same place… We're the same…"

Cissnei gave a shrug with one shoulder. "You just look more gentle than he is, I suppose is what I mean."

"Reno can be gentle." The words were out of Aura's mouth before she could stop them and Cissnei raised an eyebrow.

"Now, that is something that I have never seen."

Aura just looked at the girl, any lingering worry she had about Reno's relationship with her disappearing. If he had never shown Cissnei any kind of tenderness then there really must not have been anything beyond just fucking. Not that that in itself didn't still bother her.

Cissnei moved further away, "Makes sense with how reverently he seems to treat you," she grinned at Aura, "From what I've seen in the street anyway." Aura had brief flashes of last night, Reno reaching over her to get a grip on the headboard, and felt her cheeks heat. "I'm glad we met," Cissnei went on as she retreated across the kitchen, "and I didn't mean to offend…"

Aura just watched as the redhead moved toward the sliding door out onto the balcony.

"Really, Aura… I think you're just what he needs…" Cissnei winked at her and then closed the door and Aura watched through the glass as the girl disappeared over the railing and was gone.

Slowly, Aura crept to the door and flicked the lock. What the entire fuck had that been?